Arnold, Pleasant Earn SEC Player of the Week Honors

Auburn was tied for the most players on the SEC's weekly honors after its Week 1 win over Baylor.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold earned SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after his first start with the program. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers turned heads on Friday when the Jackson Arnold-led squad took down the Baylor Bears on the road, 38-24. The team seemed to be firing on most cylinders, but two Tigers, both of whom are new to the program, stood out from the rest.

Amidst a career game, quarterback Jackson Arnold was named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, sharing the honors with LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, while Rayshawn Pleasant was named SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week after a momentum-shifting touchdown.

Auburn's two selections tied LSU and South Carolina for the most selections for Week 1.

.@SEC Players of the Week 🏆

Offense ➡️ @_JacksonArnold_
Special Teams ➡️ @RayshawnPleasa1

📰 https://t.co/XSzeIAbmpC pic.twitter.com/mDnz3z6lKo

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) September 1, 2025

Arnold was simply electric in his first game with Auburn, rushing for a career-high 137 yards and two touchdowns, including a 24-yarder as well as a 27-yarder that iced the game.

Arnold’s 6.8 yards per rush led the Tigers’ ground campaign, which boasted over 300 total yards. The Oklahoma transfer was also 11-for-17 for 108 yards through the air..

"I didn't expect to run that much," Arnold said after the win. "But at the same time, I'm going to do what I have to do to figure out how to take what they gave us. I had to swallow my pride a little in the passing game." 

His 137 rushing yards are the most in a game by an Auburn quarterback since Nick Marshall’s 214 in 2013 against Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Rayshawn Pleasant provided a momentum shift for the Tigers late in the third quarter. After the Bears cut the lead to one score, he returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to give Auburn a 31-17 lead.

Pleasant’s fourth touchdown of his career, and first for the Tigers, was enough to earn him SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, sharing the honors with South Carolina’s Vicari Swain.

"I knew once I got the ball, I was going to make something happen with it. I was just begging for an opportunity. I knew through film study the whole week that they were going to leave me open," Pleasant said after the game.

The Tigers will continue their campaign and look to keep their forward momentum Saturday in their home opener, where they’ll face off against Ball State. The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. CST and will be televised on ESPN.