Hugh Freeze and Payton Thorne had quite an interesting relationship during the latter's time with Auburn football. While Freeze was always fully supportive of Thorne being his QB1, the head coach also took his fair share of shots at Thorne for not effectively carrying out his play-calls. It wasn't exclusive to Thorne, but it often centered around him.
On SI's Keith Cummings believes the onus is on Freeze to treat his new QB1, Jackson Arnold, with more patience and grace in 2025 to get the most out of the Atlanta-area product.
Cummings also cautioned what Arnold's development means for Deuce Knight's future.
"Moving on from the distinctly average Payton Thorne might well give Freeze a real bolt of energy, but he will have to show more flexibility and patience toward Arnold than he ever did his former quarterback," Cummings wrote.
"Therein lies the rub for Freeze - he can’t afford patience in 2025. If he fails to show significant improvement with Arnold, then the path toward quarterback in waiting Deuce Knight will also get more complicated for Freeze.
"Repeated slip ups against SEC opponents must also be reversed, the fans are fed up watching Freeze’s Tigers find new and ever-more interesting ways to lose games."
Freeze hitched his wagon to Thorne for two seasons and saw disastrous results by and large. While the Tigers nearly knocked off Georgia and Alabama at home in 2023, Auburn failed on the road during big conference games nearly every single time.
If Freeze doesn't get it right with Arnold, it's likely the end of the line for him on the Plains. Twice, AU will have spent big money on a transfer portal QB, and twice it will have blown up in his face. And the boosters'.
Recruiting can only get you so far. It's show-me time for Freeze in 2025.