Auburn Tigers head football coach Hugh Freeze admitted his plan at quarterback for the 2026 season: convincing Deuce Knight to stay with the program because Jackson Arnold could be NFL-bound after 2025.
"If Jackson is having the year that we all expect and hope he has, it'd sure be nice to convince Deuce (Knight), 'Just play in a few games and, hey, get yourself ready, because we think Jackson's going to be gone,'" Freeze said, per the Montgomery Advertiser.
"Deuce, his ceiling is high. He can make every throw. He's got a high football IQ and is so coachable. I mean, not one excuse comes out of his mouth ever, and so he'll be ready. ... It's hard to say exactly what that plan for Deuce will be, other than we think he has a really bright future."
Freeze may be onto something. Despite an awful reputation on the Plains for being one of the reasons the Freeze era has stalled the past two years, Payton Thorne was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent.
Freeze better be sure Arnold can make it to the NFL, though. If he doesn't, it's clear there will be a QB controversy a year from now involving Knight. Freeze already talking about it can't be a good sign.
Especially when he publicly admitted that there isn't a plan for Knight right now.
Freeze's seven-figure investment into Arnold has only one happy ending that the head coach just shared.
Here's to hoping the rest of the roster he spent millions on helps Arnold become a one-and-done so Knight can be happy come this time next year.