What we know about Jackson Arnold, the quarterback for Auburn, during spring practice

In an overhauled quarterback room, Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold is now the face of an Auburn offense trying to move forward from a disappointing 2024 season.

The production was up compared to 2023, but turnovers and costly mistakes turned a handful of potential wins into losses. Starting quarterback Payton Thorne ran out of eligibility and Hank Brown, Walker White and Holden Geriner all transferred, meaning the 2025 starter was going to come from outside the program.

Arnold seems to be the answer, coming to Auburn after playing the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Oklahoma. He and the team will officially be a week into spring practice on Tuesday, but a number of Arnold’s new teammates already have positive things to say about him.

“Just his decision making, him knowing where the ball is supposed to be and being able to look at the defense and knowing where to throw the ball,” said sophomore wide receiver Malcolm Simmons when asked what stands out about Arnold. “We need a good quarterback, somebody to be able to run the offense and run the system that frees the runner.”

Arnold’s relationship with Simmons will be an important one, as Simmons was one of the breakout players in Auburn’s offense last season. He caught 40 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns in 2024, and could take on an even bigger role this season.

Head coach Hugh Freeze said on the first day of practice that he’s “very optimistic” about Arnold early on in his time at Auburn. Like Simmons, Freeze also complimented Arnold’s decision making, something that carries extra importance given last season’s turnover problems.

“There’s a reason he was Gatorade Player of the Year coming out of high school,” Freeze said. “I think he needed a (restart) to regain some confidence. I think he’s doing that at a fast, fast pace.”

When talking about his intangibles, senior offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright praised Arnold’s leadership, describing his personality as goofy.

“Very funny guy,” Wright said. “Just try to brighten up the room and try to get to know each and everybody and really learn their background and why they play football.”

Quarterbacks coach Kent Austin gave a more technical explanation of Arnold as a player, complimenting his smarts, quick release, accuracy, pocket presence and foot speed.

Austin also backed up what Freeze said, alluding to Arnold already looking promising as Auburn’s signal caller.

“He’s got a pretty good command of what we’re doing right now,” Austin said. “He’s a really talented player, and we are very hopeful that he’ll stay on the trajectory he’s on right now and carry us out of the spring and into the summer, and obviously into the fall and play at a high level.”