ATLANTA, Ga.- Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold entered the transfer portal after the 2024 football season, after an up-and-down season in Norman. But what made the quarterback choose the Auburn Tigers?

“I think early on the coaches were immediately texting me as soon as I entered the portal or that day, opened up for the transfer portal,” Arnold said at SEC Media Days. “They were the first ones that texted me, communicated to me.

“Almost all of the offensive coaches texted me early on. Not only that, a day later I hopped on a zoom call with them all. They kind of laid everything out for me, showed me my fit in their offense, our offensive depth, depth in the team in general, not just offense.”

Arnold is a former five-star recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year. Despite his struggles last season with Oklahoma, the 20-year-old was still going to have plenty of options in the transfer portal. The opportunity to take over a talented offense, paired with the Auburn defense, was a key selling point.  

“They really prided [themselves] on their defense and a bunch of guys last year, and all the guys are coming back this year,” Arnold continued. 

The Auburn defense was ranked 31st in total defense in the 2024 season according to NCAA.com. 

Not only was Auburn in need of an experienced quarterback entering the 2025 season, but Arnold’s athleticism fit with what head coach Hugh Freeze likes to do with his offense.

“The biggest thing Coach Freeze sold me on with the scheme is, one, the RPO game, and, two, the deep shots,” said Arnold. “That’s something that I’ve been doing a lot since high school. And even my first couple of years in college was huge in the RPOs, huge in the deep shots.

“Coach Freeze isn’t scared to push the ball down the field, which I absolutely love. I thought with my experience running the RPO game, I think it meshed well with what Coach Freeze was wanting to do with his offense.”

Inconsistent quarterback play plagued the Tigers’ offense with turnovers last season. Auburn found themselves in very winnable games last season, including against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Winning deep in the fourth quarter, Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne tried to force a ball to wide receiver Sam Jackson V, but instead threw a ball directly to a waiting Oklahoma linebacker who then returned it for a touchdown. Auburn went on to lose this game. 

Auburn’s -9 turnover margin was tied for 119th in the country out of 133 teams. Freeze knew bringing in more quarterbacks could help get the Tiger offense over the hump. Freeze also brought in former Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels and five-star freshman quarterback Deuce Knight to reinforce the room and hopefully rid themselves of inconsistent quarterback play.