Arnold entered the portal following the regular season and was reported to have received interest from Mississippi State.
Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby recruited Arnold out of high school as Oklahoma offensive coordinator, but his history with the former Sooners quarterback wasn’t enough to sway Arnold to Starkville.
By landing Arnold, Freeze has his most talented quarterback at Auburn.
It also gives the Tigers someone else with a history of beating their in-state rival, Alabama.
Freeze beat Alabama twice as Ole Miss head coach.
Arnold started Oklahoma’s 24-3 Week 13 win, ultimately preventing the Tide from reaching the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
This season, Arnold was 154-of-246 (62.6 percent) for 1,421 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 444 yards and three touchdowns on 150 carries.
“He’s a dual-threat guy who understands the [run-pass option] system extremely well and throws the deep ball extremely well,” Freeze added.
Per Pro Football Focus data, of Arnold’s seven completions of 20 yards or more this season, six were credited as “big-time throws,” which the site defines as throws “when a quarterback is under pressure and turns a negative play into a positive one,” “when a quarterback throws into a tight window” and “when a quarterback makes a perfectly placed long pass.”
PFF data shows that Arnold gained 363 yards on designed runs, including a season-high 110 yards against Alabama.
Arnold will get an opportunity to play his former team.
On Wednesday, the SEC announced the dates for the 2025 conference schedule, and Auburn travels to Oklahoma on Sept. 20.
The Tigers have not had a winning record since 2020. The program has had four consecutive losing seasons, the most since 1946-50.
Freeze needed a spark on the Plains. Arnold could provide it.
