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USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A 'reset' for Jackson Arnold could lead to great things says former Auburn lineman
A 'reset' for Jackson Arnold could lead to great things says former Auburn lineman Arnold has the skills to be a great college quarterback. How much will a change of scenery help the new Auburn QB? Both quarterback Jackson Arnold and the Auburn Tigers football program are in desperate need of a resurgence. It seems fitting that they will attempt to find one this season together. Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn from Oklahoma over the offseason after a less-than-ideal situation with the Sooners. Inconsistency within his units at wide receiver and offensive line led Arnold to struggle, which also limited his play time as the Sooners' offense worked to find the right solution to achieve success. Arnold has found a new home in Auburn, which presents a much better situation. The Tigers have an experienced offensive line and a wide receiver group that is poised to become the best in the SEC. A fresh start is exactly what Arnold needs says former Auburn offensive lineman and current SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, who was a guest on the Paul Finebaum Show earlier this week. 'Paul, he just needs a reset, mentally and emotionally," Cubelic said of Arnold. "There were times last year where he literally could not let go of the football.' In addition to his point concerning a fresh start, Cubelic also discussed the new coaching situation that Arnold has walked into. Before his time as Oklahoma's head coach, Brent Venables was a successful defensive coordinator. At Auburn, Arnold will play for an offensive-minded head coach in Hugh Freeze, who has placed many quarterbacks in favorable situations alongside NFL-caliber wide receivers. Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, who co-hosts a morning radio show with Cubelic on Jox 94.5 FM in Birmingham, believes that pairing Arnold with an offensive-minded leader has the capability to launch him into another level of success. 'As you know, I do radio with Greg McElroy every day, and Greg went on a long rant one day when we were talking about Jackson Arnold, discussing the difficulties of playing quarterback for a defensive-minded head coach, And I had never really thought about that." Cubelic said. "Greg talked about how the message often was, 'Don't screw this up, don't mess this up. Don't make the big mistake. Whatever you do, just get us out of this jam.' And I started thinking about Lincoln Riley and Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian, and I thought to myself, 'Do those guys ever say those things?' Absolutely not." Arnold passed for 1,410 yards and 12 touchdowns last season in Norman, although his numbers could have been greater had he played the entire season. In his defense, he was pressured 132 times according to Pro Football Focus, with 36 of those pressures registering as sacks. PFF data shows that Arnold passed for 1,031 yards with a completion percentage of 67.9% and eight scores with a clean pocket, opposed to a 46.8% completion percentage and four touchdowns when the defense forces pressure. Auburn's offense will look to provide more security to Arnold this season, which, in turn, could propel the Tigers to its first winning season since 2020. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Brian Kelly Dealt Blunt Reality Check Amid Growing Hype Around LSU
Brian Kelly Dealt Blunt Reality Check Amid Growing Hype Around LSU originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There is a lot of hype surrounding the LSU Tigers and head coach Brian Kelly ahead of the 2025 college football season. However, that's to be expected for a SEC powerhouse like the Tigers. Advertisement Despite that, one college football analyst believes everyone should pump the brakes because Kelly has yet to accomplish much of anything since his arrival in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While on the Paul Finebaum Show, 247Sports analyst Brad Crawford explained his reasons why, if anything, Kelly should be on the hot seat. "Brian Kelly hit the mark. He knows this, on paper, is the best roster he's had. For me, LSU's big thing this summer has been 'Don't buy into the hype. Don't read the press clippings. Don't watch 'The Paul Finebaum Show,'" said Crawford Per the 247Sports' 2025 transfer portal team rankings, LSU had the top class with 18 commitments. The Tigers paired that with the No. 10 recruiting class in 2025, which included two five-star and 19 four-star commitments. Advertisement With all those incoming players, LSU's roster is chock-full of new talent, and it's reflected in the added expectations surrounding the program. "LSU is a team that should get to the (College Football) Playoff. Now 'should' is not 'would' or 'is it possible' because we've seen the last five years, LSU has not won a season opener," Crawford continued. Kelly arrived with the Tigers ahead of the 2022 college football season, so this losing streak in opening games stretches beyond his tenure. LSU has lost to USC and Florida State twice over the last three years under Kelly. LSU Tigers head coach Brian Chenault-Imagn Images The Tigers lost to UCLA in 2021 and to Mississippi State in 2020. LSU is travelling to Clemson to kick off the 2025 season on Aug. 30. Advertisement "With [quarterback] Garrett Nussmeier, a guy I think will be the No. 1 pick in next year's draft," said Crawford. "(Kelly has) got to get it done this time around or Brian Kelly is going to be on the hot seat by November." Finebaum responded to Crawford's bold statement by saying that Kelly is going to be a regular guest on his show throughout the season, and he would use Crawford's quote to see what Kelly thinks about it. LSU is ranked at No. 6 in ESPN's latest way-too-early college football rankings, and analyst Mark Schlabach shares a similar sentiment with Crawford that the Tigers should be "in the thick of the SEC title and CFP races." Related: Former LSU HC Issues Blunt Reality Check to Brian Kelly Before Tigers' 2025 Season Related: Kirby Smart, Georgia Reportedly Made a Move To Steal 5-Star WR Away From Alabama This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Gators AD Scott Stricklin: 'A lot of stability' with Billy Napier and Florida football
Gators AD Scott Stricklin: 'A lot of stability' with Billy Napier and Florida football Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin offered strong public support for head football coach Billy Napier during a Wednesday appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show, praising his leadership qualities and expressing optimism about the Gators' trajectory heading into the 2025 season. "It was a challenging football season, and it was incredibly rewarding the way they finished," Stricklin said. "I give Billy Napier a lot of credit. You know, Billy, he's as solid an individual as you will find in this profession." Stricklin commended Napier's integrity and toughness, noting how the third-year head coach leaned on his values to guide Florida through a turbulent 2024 campaign. "His faith is very important to him," Stricklin said. "He called on every single one of those traits and qualities going through the first half of that football season last year, and I think the way the team played toward the end is a reflection of his stability, his determination, his toughness, his just overall leadership." The Gators showed improvement down the stretch last season and head into 2025 with renewed expectations. Napier is set to begin his fourth season at the helm, aiming to return Florida to SEC contention. "When we kick off the season August 30th, it's going to be another firestorm, and we're all going to have to weather it," Stricklin said. "And I do feel like he's (Napier) constructed a roster with a lot of talent. We've got a talented young quarterback (DJ Lagway)... we've got some playmakers around him." Stricklin also emphasized the program's long-needed sense of direction under Napier's leadership. "There's a lot of stability in that program that we've not had in a long, long time," he said. "A lot of talent in that program. And there is that momentum, I think, will help." The Florida Gators open their 2025 season at home against Long Island University on Aug. 30. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Nick Saban: 'Not sure we really need a commission' to fix college athletics
Nick Saban: 'Not sure we really need a commission' to fix college athletics Show Caption Hide Caption Nick Saban talks Donald Trump federal commission on college athletics Here's what former Alabama football coach Nick Saban said about President Donald Trump federal commission on college athletics. Nick Saban doesn't believe there needs to be a commission to resolve the issues of college athletics. He said as much during an appearance on the SEC Network's "Paul Finebaum Show" on Wednesday, as he discussed the reported commission of college athletics, which President Donald Trump reportedly wants him to co-chair. "First of all, I don't know a lot about the commission. Secondly, I'm not sure we really need a commission," Saban said on SEC Network's "The Paul Finebaum Show" on Wednesday. "... I think the key to the drill is getting people together so that we can move it forward." "I'm not opposed to players making money. I don't want anybody to think that. I just think the way it's going right now, it's not sustainable and probably not in the best interest of the student athletes across the board or the game itself. So I think we need to protect the brand and the competitive advantages and disadvantages that are being created right now. And I think we can fix all that." REQUIRED READING: Opinion: Trump and proposed commission on college sports can't change reality Saban, one of college football's most decorated coaches, has been linked to the reported commission that Trump wants to create since the two spoke at Alabama's undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 1. Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported Trump's intent to create the commission on May 7. The reported commission would "examine a number of topics across college sports," ranging from "frequency of player movement in the transfer portal" to "the debate of college athlete employment" to "the application of Title IX to school revenue-share payments" and more. When asked by Finebaum on how he would implement changes to college football (and college athletics) with this commission, Saban first deflected the question by saying he didn't "want to get into the implementation" of what he would do before doing just that. "I think the first thing is everybody's got a different state law, which creates advantages and disadvantages, and everybody's trying to create advantages. So you probably need an interstate commerce type something that gets it all there. I don't think it's in best interest of the players to necessarily be employees "I think authentic name, image and likeness is good for players, but I don't think pay for play is necessarily what we want," Saban said. "We all went to college to create value for our future, and I think we want to keep some semblance of that in terms of guys becoming and developing as people and students and developing a career off the field as well as developing the ability to play at the next level. You got to have a system that enhances all three of those. He also said that part of the solution to the issues that have risen within college athletics since name, image and likeness (NIL) was passed in July 2021 is to protect the Olympic sports of college athletics. "We got to protect Olympic sports, whether they produce revenue or not, because it's opportunities for young people to get an education," Saban said. Asked if he thinks this issue within college athletics can be fixed, the seven-time national championship coach said yes. He also said that he doesn't believe he should be at "be at the tip" of spearheading a commission like this, though he is happy "anyone who would seek our help to try to help fix it." "I just think we got to have some people get together and push it forward. I think there's a lot of people out there who know how to fix it," Saban said. "I just think we got to push it forward and get everybody together, and some of it may need to be done on the federal level, and that's where we're going to have to get people together." Saban, who is to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December, went 201-29 in 17 seasons at Alabama, winning six national championships. He holds a 292-71-1 overall record across a 28-year college head coaching career, which includes stints at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auburn football: Hugh Freeze projects Oklahoma transfer QB Jackson Arnold's ceiling on Finebaum
AUBURN — On the Monday edition of the Paul Finebaum Show, Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze explained why he thinks Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold "obviously has all the tools to be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation." "He's got the arm talent, he's got the legs, he's got the football IQ," Freeze said. "I think he just needs confidence, and I think that confidence grew this spring, along with his rapport with our receivers." Advertisement FULL RECAP, HIGHLIGHTS: Auburn football wraps 2025 spring practices with A-Day Arnold transferred to Auburn in mid-December after two seasons with the Sooners. While he didn't participate in the Tigers' final spring practice session on Saturday, A-Day, due to a minor injury, he's set to get even more time to rehab and work with his new team this offseason. It was reported Wednesday that Arnold would be forgoing an invitation to the Manning Passing Academy this offseason, which he later confirmed to reporters. On Monday, Freeze told Finebaum, "it's hard, as a coach, to argue with that." "I think that says a lot about where Jackson's head is right now," Freeze said. "Obviously, the Manning Passing Academy is incredibly an honor to go to and be a part of, which he's done. He just felt like, at this tenure, it was best that he's with his team the whole time, and I'm really supportive of that." Advertisement Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@ or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Hugh Freeze weighs OU transfer Jackson Arnold's potential
