Former Auburn QB Duece Knight Commits to SEC Foe

The Auburn Tigers are set to face one of their former quarterbacks next season.

Freshman quarterback Deuce Knight has committed to Ole Miss, according a report from On3’s Hayes Fawcett on Sunday morning, meaning he will step toe-to-toe with Auburn when the two teams clash in Oxford on Oct. 31.

BREAKING: Auburn true freshman transfer QB Deuce Knight has Committed to Ole Miss, he tells @On3sports

Knight was ranked as a Five-Star Recruit in the 2025 On3 Industry Rankingshttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/f1OujLoSvI
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 11, 2026

Ole Miss was a legitimate competitor to flip Knight from Auburn out of high school, as he was visiting Oxford when the Rebels defeated Georgia and fans stormed the field, making many Auburn fans concerned that he would revoke his pledge to the Tigers.

However, Knight ultimately chose Auburn out of high school, but when he entered the transfer portal a few weeks ago, the recent events at Ole Miss may have played a large factor in his decision.

Ole Miss star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the Rebels to a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance this year, widely viewed as the best season in program history, but his waiver to the NCAA asking for another year of eligibility was denied on Friday. Thus, he is unable to return in 2026, and his final game as a Rebel was their loss to Miami.

Additionally, backup quarterback Austin Simmons entered the portal and committed to Missouri, so Ole Miss is currently lacking depth at the position. A lot of people speculate that immediate playing time was a big reason why Knight hit the portal, and he could certainly find that at a place like Ole Miss, where its top two quarterbacks are gone after this season.

There was smoke that emerged throughout Auburn’s corner of social media over the course of the past week that Knight could be eyeing a return to Auburn, but that rumor is quickly shut down with his commitment to Ole Miss.

Knight spent one season on the Plains, and the former five-star saw action in just two games. He played a few snaps in Auburn’s win over Ball State in its home opener, but he started the Tigers’ Week 13 matchup against Mercer towards the end of the season.

He had a historic game versus the Bears in his first collegiate start, posting 239 passing yards and 162 rushing yards, accounting for 401 of Auburn’s 547 yards of total offense. His six touchdowns, four on the ground and two more through the air, were tied for the most by an Auburn quarterback ever.

Knight also became the first Auburn quarterback to rush for 150+ yards since Nick Marshall vs. Tennessee in 2013, and his four rushing touchdowns tied for the fourth-most by an Auburn player in program history.

While it may hurt for Auburn fans to lose such a coveted young talent who was often seen as “the future,” the Tigers’ quarterback situation is solid.

Former USF star quarterback Byrum Brown committed to Auburn this past week, and he will likely be the best quarterback the Tigers have had this decade.

Brown led all FBS quarterbacks with 42 total touchdowns and 347.2 yards of offense per game in 2025, and he stands as one of just 12 FBS quarterbacks to notch 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. He follows Golesh to Auburn as a veteran who knows the offense and understands the scheme, which the program hasn’t exactly seen in years.

Auburn also signed redshirt freshman Locklan Hewlett through the transfer portal, and flipped former USF commit Rhys Brush on Early Signing Day to follow Alex Golesh to the Plains, meaning Auburn still has an abundance of young talent in the quarterback room with Knight’s departure.

The Tigers will also likely look for another quarterback in the transfer portal to serve as an immediate backup to Brown for 2026.