"My guy just has to lock in & not turn it over": J.D Pickell shares his advice for Jackson Arnold before leading Auburn in 2025

Hugh Freeze will head into his third year as Auburn's coach in 2025. Unlike last year, he will look to improve the season record with a better Tigers team and a stable quarterback room.

Freeze will have Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold at the helm and is expected to lead the program to at least an eight-plus game-winning season. While there has been some apprehension about Arnold's gameplay and jitters from Oklahoma, On3's J.D Pickell has some advice for the quarterback heading into 2025 with the Tigers.

Pickell believes that Arnold does not have to be a five-star plus prospect like how he used to be in high school. Instead, he must utilize his opportunities and avoid any turnovers. Something that overshadowed his success at Oklahoma. This year, Auburn has better receivers, tight ends, and an offense unit that looks pretty stable. [Timestamp - 1:20]

“I want to make sure we say this, though, Jackson Arnold does not have to live up to what he was as a high school recruit, five star plus kind of guy, in order to be successful. My guy just has to lock in and not turn it over, which sounds super simple,” Pickell said on his show on Sunday.

“There's a lot more to it, especially in the Hugh Freeze offense, with all they ask you to do at the quarterback position. But you look at what he was at Oklahoma, and maybe that gives you some anxiety. As an Auburn fan, I don't think you're wrong for being slow to trust but I would just say this. I don't hold the Oklahoma thing against him.

“I don't know if he can cook or not yet, dude, first you're starting quarterback, and we got a sack rate of like 12% Nobody knows, nobody knows what Jackson Arnold is going to be,” he added.

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When Hugh Freeze showed his confidence in Jackson Arnold

In the last two years at Oklahoma Sooners, Jackson Arnold put up some good numbers: A completion rate of 62.9 percent for 1,984 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 17 games.

He also showcased his rushing skills and proved himself a dual-threat quarterback. In January, Auburn Tigers coach Hugh Freeze said he had complete faith in Arnold.

The past is past, and his tenure at Oklahoma does not define what kind of player he is. He had a bumpy ride with poor momentum and an inability to convert the games in crucial moments. But things are expected to change, as per Freeze.