Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze has officially named Jackson Arnold as the team’s starting quarterback. When asked by Mike Gittens of the War Rapport about the QB1 decision, Freeze responded decisively:
“Yeah, he is,” he said without hesitation.
Freeze then shifted focus to the rest of the quarterback room, particularly praising freshman Deuce Knight.
“Deuce Knight is going to be phenomenal. He had a great spring and it was a joy to work with him,” Freeze said. “He’s one of the most accountable freshmen—doesn’t make excuses, eager to learn, wants to be coached, and has elite talent and arm strength.”
Freeze later expanded on what he likes about Arnold as the starter, noting the quarterback’s resilience and growth despite a tough situation in Oklahoma’s offense under Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley last season. His remarks also effectively ruled out another transfer QB from competing for meaningful snaps this year.
Deuce Knight, not Ashton Daniels, will be Jackson Arnold’s primary backup QB for Auburn
Ashton Daniels, the Stanford transfer, is expected to remain on the sidelines this fall—unless Jackson Arnold and/or Deuce Knight are sidelined by injury or prove unready, which appears unlikely.
Arnold and Knight both showed strong preparation throughout the offseason, with Arnold only missing A-Day due to a leg injury sustained during spring practice. While an injury to one of them is possible, both going down would be highly unusual.
Daniels still holds one year of eligibility and a redshirt. Given the current depth chart and limited opportunity, it seems increasingly likely he’ll preserve his redshirt this season and look to transfer elsewhere for 2026. With the transfer portal window having closed on April 25—and SEC intra-conference restrictions in place—Daniels won’t be able to move to another SEC program this year.
