Auburn to start Ashton Daniels at QB over Jackson Arnold vs. Kentucky

Ashton Daniels will start at quarterback for Auburn against Kentucky on Saturday, per On3’s Chris Low. Jackson Arnold started for Auburn against Arkansas last week, but Daniels finished the game, ultimately leading the Tigers to a 33-24 victory.

Per Low, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze informed the team of his decision Friday. Low reports Freeze still believes in Arnold, but wants to give Daniels an opportunity to start.

Low also reported Freeze told Arnold that Auburn’s offensive woes aren’t entirely his fault. However, he wants to see what Daniels can accomplish as the team’s starter.

Auburn benched Arnold late in the second quarter after he threw a pick-six that gave Arkansas a 21-10 lead. In the comeback win, Daniels completed 6-of-his-8 pass attempts for 77 yards. He threw neither a touchdown, nor an interception, but ran for 35 yards

In contrast, Arnold completed 7-of-his-12 pass attempts for 73 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing an interception. Arnold rushed for just nine yards in the game on six carries. Daniels transferred to Auburn this offseason after spending three years at Stanford.

He’s served as Arnold’s backup throughout the 2025 campaign despite Auburn’s lack of success. Arnold is only averaging 157.9 passing yards per game, the least of any starting quarterback in the SEC.

In fairness, Arnold is a greater rushing threat than many of the other QBs in the conference. However, his ability to use his legs hasn’t translated to wins for the Tigers, who entered Week 9 with a 0-4 record in conference play. Earlier this week, Hugh Freeze said the starting spot behind center was up for grabs.

“I don’t think there’s any greater motivator than competition. And that’s what it is. It’s an open competition to see who prepares and plays the best,” Freeze said. “They both will split reps and then we’ll make a decision. There’s a lot of good things that both did. I thought Ashton showed an incredible amount of poise.

“I thought he showed great poise and leadership in a difficult time to come in the game, when the momentum had totally shifted the other way. And, I thought he gave us a spark. Up until, Jackson’s interception, I thought he played really, really well to that point.”

Ashton Daniels will make his first start for Auburn on Saturday when the Tigers square off against Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air live on the SEC Network.