Anonymous SEC coach thinks Auburn is 'definitely' bowling in 2025

Auburn (5-7) took a bit of a step backwards in Year 2 under head football coach Hugh Freeze, missing out of a bowl game for the second time in the past three years. But as the Tigers enter Year 3 with a new quarterback in the fold, confidence is riding high that Auburn will be bowling once again in 2025.

And that includes from outside the program after multiple anonymous opposing SEC coaches expressed confidence in the 2025 Tigers when speaking to Athlon Sports for their annual season preview magazine.

“I think this is a turnaround year for these guys, and they’re definitely bowling,” an anonymous SEC coach told Athlon Sports.

Freeze appears to have finally landed a quarterback he can build around in former Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold, a former Five-Star Plus+ member of the 2023 recruiting cycle who hit the portal this past offseason after starting nine games in Norman during the 2024 season.

“Watch out here — they finally have a quarterback who can run Freeze’s system, and they’ve done some really impressive work in the portal,” another anonymous SEC coach told Athlon. “They’re not an elite team by any stretch, but this is the most complete roster Freeze has put together since he got there.”

After struggling through their first two seasons under Freeze, Auburn finally has some preseason hype after securing the sixth-ranked transfer recruiting class according to On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings, with Arnold, former Georgia Tech receiver Eric Singleton Jr., and former Virginia Tech offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin among the biggest draws.

That influx of new transfer talent has certainly caught the attention of Auburn’s SEC competition.

“They finally have a quarterback, honestly. Arnold is not a world-beater, you can rattle him, but he’s a Day 1 upgrade, and the receiving room is really deep,” a third anonymous SEC coach told Athlon. “The Georgia Tech kid [Singleton Jr.] is a legit baller and a big get.”

Hugh Freeze discusses development of QB Jackson Arnold

Since head coach Hugh Freeze got to Auburn in 2023, he’s been looking for a long-term solution at quarterback to lead the Tigers offense. Now, the hope is that they’ve found that answer in transfer Jackson Arnold.

With spring in the rearview mirror, Freeze shared that he’s excited about Arnold. In particular, his development has been something that coaches at Auburn noticed since he landed with the program.

“Really excited about Jackson,” Hugh Freeze said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “I thought he and Deuce [Knight] was, we were able to just – we only had those two guys here so they got all the reps and I think that was a good thing. And, uh, Jackson, obviously, has all the tools to, to be a, one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, in my opinion. I think he, you know, coming out of high school, obviously, was Gatorade Player of the Year.”

Coming out of high school, Jackson Arnold was one of the most highly-touted recruits in the country. A five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, he was the eighth-ranked player overall and the fourth-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle.

Initially attending Oklahoma, Arnold flashed his talent at times. Other times, however, his youth and need to develop did stand out. Benched at one point during the 2024 season, Arnold completed 62.6 percent of his passes in 10 games for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns to three interceptions. He also rushed for 444 yards and three touchdowns.

“Just needed, probably, a restart for whatever reason,” Freeze said. “And, um, I’m just excited about what I saw. He’s got the arm talent, he’s got the legs, he’s got the football IQ. And I think he just needs confidence and I think that confidence grew this spring, um, along with our, his rapport with our receivers. But, um, truthfully, you probably don’t, you know, regain or gain that confidence and swagger until we really get into the bows and have success. But I’m really confident with what I saw, in him and Deuce, throughout the spring.”

— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report.