The Auburn Tigers are now entering their third year under Hugh Freeze, and the urgency to win has never been higher.

After consecutive losing seasons and failing to qualify for a bowl game last year, Freeze realizes that a significant change is necessary. Otherwise, his position might be in jeopardy.

On paper, there’s really no reason why Auburn shouldn’t be quite competitive this upcoming fall.

With one of the most underrated rosters in the nation, particularly in terms of talent, the Tigers have a wide receiver group and defensive line that can hold their own against anyone.

However, this won’t matter if their key player can’t reach the potential that’s been expected of him throughout his college career.

Last season, the Tigers suffered several close losses, largely due to mistakes and, specifically, struggles in quarterback performance.

Payton Thorne didn’t show improvement from his first year to his second, which left Auburn hesitant in the passing game, despite having emerging stars like freshman Cam Coleman and Penn State transfer Keandre Lambert-Smith.

Lambert-Smith has since moved to the NFL, and Thorne is also gone, which has added some changes to the receiver room.

Now, for the quarterback position, all eyes are on Jackson Arnold. The Tigers, especially Freeze, are banking on him.

After transferring from Oklahoma, Arnold is two seasons into his new stint.

Sadly, the former five-star recruit didn’t find much success last year. He was benched during the season as he struggled to find consistency in his performance.

Arnold was once a standout MVP at Elite 11 and was highly regarded as one of the best quarterbacks coming out of high school three years ago, yet for some reason, he hasn’t quite found his rhythm in college.

It’s evident that Freeze and his team believed they could unlock his potential, which is why they pursued him through the transfer portal.

So far, the early feedback from spring practices has been encouraging.

Freeze has expressed excitement about his new quarterback, and early reports suggest the Tigers have made promising improvements.

There’s a possibility that Arnold could turn things around and help the Tigers become playoff contenders if he can live up to his initial promise as a recruit.

But if he falters again, the team might endure another disappointing season of quarterback play, leading to more losses and increasing pressure on Freeze from both boosters and fans.

This Auburn team is certainly improved, but the success hinges heavily on which version of Arnold shows up this fall.