Former Alabama QB Singles Out Auburn's Jackson Arnold as having Most to Prove

Former Alabama quarterback turned ESPN color analyst Greg McElroy recently discussed the quarterback he thought had the most to prove in the SEC for the 2025 season.

After a big money transfer from Oklahoma to the Auburn Tigers, McElroy singled out Jackson Arnold.

"The biggest spring question for me when it comes to Auburn is how confident is Jackson Arnold, and how quickly can he develop chemistry with a really high-quality receiving corps," McElroy said during his Always College Football show.

Auburn got lackluster quarterback play from Payton Thorne the last-two seasons. Not all of the blame can be placed on the shoulders of Thorne, but Hugh Freeze is counting on Arnold to save his job and elevate the Tigers in 2025.

Auburn fans have to be a little concerned that the poor decisions under center that plagued Thorne has also been the Achilles heel of Arnold with the Sooners.

"It's not about talent. It's never been about talent with Jackson Arnold, it's about playing with confidence and making great decisions," McElroy insisted.

Perimeter weapons certainly aren't the ongoing issue for Arnold, so if the Tigers new signal caller can hit the ground running this spring, then he could enter the fall with the confidence that abandoned him at Oklahoma.

Just how new pass catching recruit Eric Singleton blends with young holdovers, Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons will provide a key to sustained success.

On the flip side, Arnold will not have much of a grace period in the pressure cooker that will be Auburn football in 2025. But when you sign a multi-million-dollar NIL deal, the pressure to succeed immediately should be expected.

Ultimately, the responsibility to win early and often will come to rest on the shoulders of Freeze. He’ll need to prove he can rebuild the confidence of Arnold and at the very least win the games he’s supposed to win at Auburn. He failed to do that his first-two seasons on the Plains with Payton Thorne.