Coming off of a disaster season for the Auburn Tigers, Hugh Freeze finds himself on one of the hottest seats in the Country. After the offense was a disaster in 2024, the Auburn Tigers went out and brought in Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold hoping to find better quarterback play. Last season, Jackson Arnold had struggles of his own which led to him being benched for Michael Hawkins which are a reason to be concerned for Auburn.
Heading into fall camp, Auburn fans likely feel several different things are the top priority before kicking off the season. One top priority would be to test Jackson Arnold and Freshman Deuce Knight to ensure both are ready to go as Baylor won't be an easy opening opponent.
While Auburn fans will hope that Jackson Arnold is tested and ready to go when the season begins, Hugh Freeze's top priority is the opposite. At Auburn camp on Wednesday, Hugh Freeze admitted to a common coaching practice yet, he shouldn't have said it out loud as he admitted that he asked Defensive Coordinator DJ Durkin to go easier on Jackson Arnold.
Hugh Freeze acknowledges he asked DC DJ Durkin to go easier on QB Jackson Arnold in the spring. Freeze says offensive coaches are working closely with Durkin regarding practice plans.
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) July 30, 2025
"The number one priority for practice is for our quarterback to leave the field confident."
On several different fronts, Hugh Freeze admitting he made this decision is clearly a mistake. If your hope is to build up Jackson Arnold's confidence, why would you tell everyone you took it easy on him making it seem like the reason he had a succesful camp. By sharing this with everyone, you're also challenging Dave Aranda and Baylor to throw the kitchen sink at Arnold and hope he hasn't seen certain blitzes and coverages.
Allowing your quarterback to go through camp as the defense is taking it easy on him is going to prove to be a disservice right when the season starts as the opponents will make it tough on Arnold. This also sets the defense back as they aren't getting as many reps as they could running their advanced schemes and disguises.
If Jackson Arnold comes out an struggles to start the year, by admitting this, Hugh Freeze will end up catching a ton of heat as the fanbase will question the decision to take it easy. Arnold may certainly benefit from this approach but, Hugh Freeze admitting he's taking it easy on Arnold only adds a potential reason to blame him for any shortcomings.