After the spring transfer portal, which saw some major movement in the SEC, including Tennessee starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava leaving for UCLA amidst an NIL dispute, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach released his 2025 post-spring Way-Too-Early Top 25 Rankings, and the Auburn Tigers are nowhere to be found.
After back-to-back losing seasons, it’s crucial that Hugh Freeze takes a step forward in Year 3 at Auburn, but Schlabach doesn’t see the Tigers as one of the 25 best rosters in the country or nine best teams in the SEC. Starting with the Texas Longhorns at No. 3, nine SEC teams were featured in Schlabach’s ranking: Texas, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma.
Auburn on the outside looking in after the spring transfer portal window
Freeze trusted his fate to Payton Thorne for the past two seasons, and the Michigan State transfer quarterback did not deliver the results that Auburn needed. So, now for Year 3, Freeze has named Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold his starting QB, and even Arnold’s previous team cracked the Top 25 following a six-win season of its own in 2024.
Arnold was benched by Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables in favor of four-star freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., but after the season, Venables cleaned house on the offensive side of the ball. Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and replaced him with Ben Arbuckle, who brought quarterback John Mateer with him from Washington State. The Sooners claimed the 25th spot in Schlabach’s rankings and will be one of the primary measuring sticks for the Tigers.
Both Auburn and Oklahoma managed two SEC wins last season and will meet in Norman for their respective SEC openers on September 20th. That’s a perfect opportunity for Freeze and Arnold to make a statement, but from a national perspective, ESPN expects Auburn to be outmatched.
Freeze has been a force on the recruiting trail with back-to-back top 10 high school classes since taking over the program, but if that young talent doesn’t shine through this season, he may not have a chance to see it develop beyond 2025. Auburn’s roster has talent, enough for a breakout season, but the Tigers will have to prove it before national pundits start to believe.