The Auburn Tigers quarterback room is very different from what it was during the 2024 season. All four of the signal callers from the depth chart are no longer on the team, and starter Payton Thorne ran out of college eligibility. After the season, backups Hank Brown, Holden Geriner, and Walker White all went through the transfer portal; Brown will play for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2025, White will go to Baylor, and Geriner will go to the Sun Belt to play for the Texas State Bobcats. As a result of these departures, head coach Hugh Freeze had to find a new quarterback room for Auburn, and the position will need to improve in 2025 or Freeze may be fired.
Auburn’s New Quarterback Room
Jackson Arnold
Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold will be the favorite as the new top signal caller for the Tigers. Arnold started the 2024 season as the Sooners starter and had high expectations. After a slow start, he was benched in favor of Michael Hawkins Jr. He did regain the starting job later in the season. Overall, Arnold passed for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 63%. He was very productive as a rusher with 444 yards and three touchdowns. In the upset win over Alabama, Arnold rushed for 131 yards to help lead Oklahoma to a win.
Arnold possesses plenty of potential to elevate the Tigers’ passing game. As a recruit, he was listed as a five-star prospect by skysport22 and ranked as the best player in Texas. Nationally, he was ranked fourth at quarterback and 10th overall. Oklahoma had issues at receiver this past season due to injuries and production that limited his ability. He will be helped by a talented group of skill players around him at running back and receiver with Auburn.
Ashton Daniels
The second quarterback added by the Tigers was Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels. Daniels adds experience with two years of playing time for Stanford. In 2024, Daniels passed for 1,700 yards and ten touchdowns. Like Arnold, he completed 63% of his passes but did throw 12 interceptions. He was a big part of the Stanford rushing attack leading the team with 669 yards and scoring three touchdowns. During the 2023 season, Daniels passed for 2,247 yards and 11 touchdowns. That season he rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Daniels could be a good change of pace player for the offense.
Tanner Bailey
Former South Carolina quarterback Tanner Bailey does not bring much experience, but he does bring much-needed depth to the quarterback room. Brown and Geriner leaving the Tigers were not big surprises, but the departure of White did for some. That increased the need to bring in a third quarterback. For Bailey, his only playing time while at South Carolina came in 2023 in a 47-21 win over Furman. The only statistic he accumulated is a seven-yard loss. It will not be expected for Bailey to factor into the starting role unless the Tigers are hit with injuries.
Deuce Knight
The quarterback with the most upside on the roster is incoming freshman Deuce Knight who flipped to the Tigers during the season. He originally committed to playing for Notre Dame. The Mississippi native is listed as a four-star prospect by 247Sports and ranked as the fifth-best quarterback of the 2025 signing class. He does need some development as a passer and has the athleticism to create plays of his own. In his final year in high school he passed for 2,067 yards and 25 touchdowns. Knight also rushed for 450 yards and 12 touchdowns while leading his team to the 6A playoffs in Mississippi. After the season, he was named MVP of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. In the annual December game, he passed for 176 yards and rushed for 139 with three total touchdowns. Knight should not see much of the field in 2025 but is the future at quarterback for the Tigers.
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