The pressure is on for Auburn football Head Coach Hugh Freeze heading into the 2025 season. After two, back-to-back seasons with losing records, results have got to start showing up on the field if Freeze wants to remain in his position on the Plains.
Despite bringing in two Top-10 recruiting classes over the last two years, many are disappointed with the results garnered by Freeze since his arrival after Bryan Harsin was fired. The Tigers have not won more than six games since the 2019 season, and have not won a bowl game since the 2018 season.
Over the past two seasons, much of the blame for the lack of success fell on the shoulders of quarterback Payton Thorne, who exhausted his eligibility and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2025 NFL Draft. After Thorne's departure and an exodus of other QBs to the transfer portal, the Tigers have a completely new QB room heading into the fall.
For Paul Finebaum, trading Payton Thorne for former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold could make all the difference for Freeze and his team, and there are still reasons for Tiger fans to be optimistic in 2025.
"I came away from talking to Hugh Freeze pretty upbeat," Finebaum said on his podcast, per Auburn Tigers on SI. "He's got a lot of players that he didn't have. He was honest about that yesterday. I like their quarterback situation."
Arnold and incoming freshman and 5-star recruit Deuce Knight were the only two quarterbacks on campus during spring training and shared all of the reps during practices while building a strong bond as teammates. Freeze has said very positive things about both QBs despite naming Arnold the official starter for the upcoming season.
The Tigers will return to action on August 29 against Baylor.