Auburn made a splash in the transfer portal this weekend by landing former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold. While other SEC teams like Georgia and the state of Mississippi was also interested in him to varying degrees, Hugh Freeze won big with this commitment. Indeed, Auburn needs to thrive for Freeze to keep his job beyond next season. Will Arnold be enough?

Last year was supposed to be the year Arnold took over and thrived running the Oklahoma offense. He seemed completely out of sorts compared to the Tennessee defense in his first SEC start, culminating in his eventual benching. Arnold eventually won the starting job back, but it was too little, too late. Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell was ousted and OU barely reached bowl eligibility.

I entertain the idea of ​​pursuing a player like Arnold in the portal, but I have concerns about him being the difference maker Auburn needs right now. Make no mistake, he is extremely talented. However, I wonder if last season’s struggles will follow Arnold to his new SEC school. Auburn may be in a better position than Oklahoma next year, but Freeze could face similar pressure to Billy Napier.

Here’s Auburn football welcoming its new five-star dual-threat quarterback to War Eagle Nation.

What must Arnold and Freeze do in unison to have the season Auburn needs next fall?

It’s really simple. Auburn needs to be more than just a bowl team next year under Freeze. I don’t know if 8-4 is the benchmark he needs to reach, but Arnold needs to be a catalyst for change like DJ Lagway was for Florida last year under Billy Napier. Freezing is a quality college football head coach, so I trust his ability to identify and develop incoming talent, gate or high school or not.

In theory, this budding partnership between Arnold and Freeze should work well for Auburn. You have a high-end coach and a promising quarterback coming together in a historically significant program. There is another huge advantage that Auburn will have next year in its favor. Great rivals Alabama and Georgia will have to come to Jordan-Hare next season, giving Auburn a chance.

Ultimately, Freeze’s tenure at Auburn will be defined by his program’s decision to pursue and force Arnold out of the portal. I understand why he pursued and took Payton Thorne out of Michigan State two years ago, but this transfer portal targeting Arnold has to work. It feels like a boom or bust. Either Auburn is pushing for a playoff spot next year or they miss a bowl game and everyone is gone.

We have to appreciate Freeze for pursuing one of the biggest targets in the transfer portal this year.