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Auburn

Personality tests helping Freeze, Arnold, players foster stronger relationships

Justin Hokansonby: Justin Hokanson07/15/25_JHokanson
Auburn QB Jackson Arnold, HC Hugh Freeze
(Auburn Athletics)

ATLANTA, Ga. — Hugh Freeze was asked an important question at SEC Media Days regarding the confidence level of transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold.

Because of the way last year went for Arnold, is their “scar tissue” that Freeze has to work through with Arnold mentally, or did Arnold show up with swagger? Fair question.

“I think (Arnold) had to regain confidence, and I think that we’ve taken a lot of steps toward that and I feel really good about that right now,” Freeze said. “Ultimately, I don’t think there’s any way you’re going to really judge it until we hit the field, but he’s got the swagger right now and the respect of this football team, and a great understanding of our offense.”

Freeze has spoken about this at times since spring camp. He has mentioned that Arnold needed to regain confidence after last season’s debacle at Oklahoma. The former 5-star player was benched in the middle of the season, regained his job, and finished with only 1,421 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. The up-and-down season led to Arnold transferring, so that tells you certainly how Arnold viewed things.

Then Freeze went deeper into the physiological aspects of not just Arnold, but the entire team, plus coaches. Freeze said on Tuesday that the entire football building has undergone personality tests to help facilitate the best ways to work together this offseason.

“We are doing personality tests for all our entire building and I really enjoyed studying that on Jackson and myself, and the owner of the company kind of went and came and sat with me and went through mine, my coordinators and the quarterbacks and gave me his ideas,” Freeze said.

Arnold said he took the test during his official visit to Auburn, viewing it as a “weeding out” tool for recruits.”

“I do like it for coaching,” Arnold said. “He wants to see what personalities fit him and his coaching style. And if that fit’s not good, then don’t grab that guy out of the portal. I completely understand him doing it.”

Freeze believes the results will help determine the best ways to interact, especially with the quarterbacks, during adverse moments that will come this fall.

“I thought he was brilliant. I really do. And it helped me a lot to understand how Jackson and Deuce (Knight) and Ashton (Daniels), how do they need to be coached by me? Because I can be, as he pointed out several times, I can be that Michael Jordan side of, you have to get this right. Why didn’t you get it right? You know, instead, I probably need to be more of the Scottie Pippen sometimes with some quarterbacks,” Freeze said.

“I think it’s helped Jackson and I, and Deuce and I, because I know even when I see them right now, saw him sitting out there, the things that we discussed in that meeting immediately popped to my mind about, all right, what is it that Jackson needs to hear from me right now? Or what is it that Deuce or Ashton and I need to do? The whole team. But it’s been very helpful.”

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