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Greg McElroy identifies SEC QB with most to prove entering 2025
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Greg McElroy recently broke down the major spring storylines for SEC football in his “Always College Football” show. That includes which quarterback within the conference has a bit more to prove this fall.
According to McElroy, that would be none other than former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold who is entering his first season at Auburn. Arnold began his career as a 5-star recruit and top-10 prospect nationally in the 2023 recruiting class, but his first year as the starter did not go as planned with the Sooners.
Now, Arnold is looking to live up to the hype and develop his game under Hugh Freeze as a key piece to the Tigers’ 2025 outlook. This spring, McElroy says the biggest question is how quickly Arnold can find his confidence and begin developing chemistry with an especially strong group of receivers.
“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,” explained McElroy.
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The ESPN analyst went on to compare Arnold’s situation to the one that played out in Oklahoma just a few years prior with Spencer Rattler. Ultimately, McElroy doesn’t see the questions surrounding Arnold as being about his talent but more about his confidence and decision-making.
“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 said.
Arnold did have his moments during the 2024 season. He threw for 2 touchdowns without an interception in a loss to Ole Miss and rushed for 131 yards in a late-season upset of Alabama. Now, it’s about finding that consistency — and quickly — with Auburn.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
