Auburn's Hugh Freeze is making the same QB mistake that nearly got Billy Napier fired

Heading into the 2025 College Football season, Hugh Freeze may be on the hottest seat of any coach in the SEC. The Auburn Tigers had some excitement before the season yet they tumbled from 6-7 with a 3-5 record in the SEC to a 5-7 record with a 2-6 record in SEC play. The biggest headline surrounding Auburn this offseason was the golf habits for Freeze rather than the team's roster.

Before the 2024 College Football season, the coach sitting on the throne Freeze currently occupies was Florida's Billy Napier. While Billy Napier is back for another season in Gainesville, at one point it appeared that his tenure was over last season. The Gators started the year with an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Miami before an embarrassing loss to Texas A&M almost ended Napier's tenure.

Given that Napier is still employed by the Florida Gators, one thing changed that allowed Napier to keep his job. The key change was making DJ Lagway the full-time starting quarterback, which was forced by Graham Mertz's season-ending injury.

Heading into the season, every Florida fan realized that Lagway was the more talented quarterback, the future of the program, and the best quarterback to set the team up in the future as well as the present. Despite Lagway's talent, Billy Napier started Graham Mertz, who was the veteran, and it nearly cost him his job.

Ahead of this season, Hugh Freeze may be making the same mistake with his quarterback room, and it may actually cost him his job. This offseason, Auburn brought in Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold to lead the offense. Arnold wasn't the only addition, however, as the Tigers signed one of the best quarterback recruits in the Country, landing Deuce Knight.

The reason Auburn was able to land Jackson Arnold wasn't because he was in love with the program or because he wanted to play for Hugh Freeze but, because he was underwhelming at Oklahoma. Arnold completed just 62.6% of his passes for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns with 3 interceptions in 10 games. In SEC Play, Arnold completed just 85 of his 139 attempts (61.1%) for 713 yards and 3 touchdowns with an interception.

While Arnold didn't have the best supporting cast, it was clear that he also wasn't the answer for the Sooners which is why Michael Hawkins took over the offense. Arnold became reliant on checking the ball down and the Sooners offense allowed defenses to load the box as they couldn't beat anyone deep.

Hugh Freeze will be banking his job on Jackson Arnold becoming the player his recruiting ranking says he was rather than making the smarter decision. While Freeze will start the veteran, playing Deuce Knight is the smarter option for himself and the Tigers.

Knight was the 25th ranked player in the Country, the 6th ranked quarterback in the class, and the top player out of Mississippi as a recruit. Like DJ Lagway, Deuce Knight will start his career on the bench but, it's clear that he has a skill set that should ensure he'll never give the job up once he takes over at quarterback.

Hugh Freeze is viewed as an offensive guru but if he were all he's cracked up to be, he'd be willing to start Deuce Knight even if he's still a raw talent as a player. As evidenced by Auburn's fall camp, Knight has the ability to make throws that some veteran quarterbacks still can't make, with a beautiful pass to Eric Singleton Jr.

Auburn will be banking on one quarterback to take a massive leap this season, and rather than doing so with a player that could be a one-and-done if everything went well, why not do it with the player that could change the program's trajectory? After Lagway flashed for Florida, recruits flocked to Gainesville, which could be the impact Knight would have on the program.

When Auburn kicks off the season, it'll be interesting to see if Jackson Arnold bounces back; otherwise, Hugh Freeze may not have the chance to ever deploy Deuce Knight.

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