Auburn's Deuce Knight Showed Promising Preview Over A-Day Weekend

The Auburn Tigers' five-star recruit showed the talent he brings to the table in front of the fans

The five-star QB provided promising preview | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers ended spring practice with their usual A-Day festivities. One player that many Auburn fans came to see was true freshman quarterback Deuce Knight, who joined in January as part of the 2025 recruiting class. He was only one of two five-star players in that class. 

With starting quarterback Jackson Arnold out with a leg injury, Knight took all of the first-team reps. The fans that showed up at Jordan-Hare were treated to a show that featured a lot of his raw talent. With a year or two of coaching at the college level, Knight should be able to take the reins from Arnold when the time comes  

He threw three touchdowns that were sandwiched by a pair of interceptions. He continued to build chemistry with several receivers. He hit sophomore receiver Perry Thompson for a 35-yard touchdown pass. He also found both Wake Forest transfer Horatio Fields and sophomore receiver Cam Coleman for touchdowns. The two interceptions were made by junior Taye Seymore and fellow freshman safety Eric Winters. 

Head coach Hugh Freeze thought Knight was just “OK” during A-Day. His interceptions were a bit head-scratching. 

“That was a little out of character for him,” Freeze said of Knight’s interceptions. “Truthfully, with the 15 days we’ve had in practice, I just hadn’t seen that.”

With Arnold likely getting the starting job, Knight will compete with Stanford transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels, who also joined Auburn over the offseason, for the backup role. 

Knight described his A-Day performance as a learning experience, especially regarding the interceptions. 

“I’d rather get them out of the way during practice than in the game,” Knight said. “That’s the whole point of practice. Defense throws a couple of different things out there. We’ve just got guys on the other side. If the defense is not doing anything during practice, there’s something wrong. I want them to be playing good ball.” 

Auburn should be very excited knowing that their future is bright with Jackson Arnold and Deuce Knight leading the team for the next four years. Arnold has the skill to lead the team and has something to prove. For Knight, he will be able to learn from a great coaching staff and from Arnold during these next couple of years.