Auburn Tigers 2025 Season Preview

Four Straight Losing Seasons. Freeze Says That Stops Now.

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🧠 Key to the Season:

No More Excuses. Time to Close

Auburn’s been hovering in SEC purgatory:

• Back-to-back losing seasons under Hugh Freeze
• Four straight sub-.500 finishes overall
• Haven’t beaten Bama since 2019
• Haven’t won a bowl game since 2018

Now? Freeze has his quarterback, some real weapons, and two of the biggest games of the year — Bama and Georgia — at home.

If the Tigers don’t break through now, they may never.

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💪 Key Player:

Jackson Arnold, QB (Sophomore)

This is his offense now.

The Oklahoma transfer torched Bama last year with 131 yards on the ground in a 24–3 stunner … then transferred to Auburn for a fresh start.

• 2024 stat line: 1,421 yards, 12 TDs (while banged up)
• Sacked 34 times behind a collapsing OL
• Still won his job back in Norman by season’s end

Now he’s in a Freeze-led RPO system that fits him perfectly. With more protection and a trio of dynamic receivers, this could be the leap.

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🔁 Top Weapons Returning:

• Cam Coleman, WR – SEC preseason 1st teamer
• Eric Singleton Jr., WR – GT transfer, breakout candidate
• Malcolm Simmons, WR – Reliable chain-mover (451 yards)

Also back: 4 starters on the OL — including preseason All-SEC picks Connor Lew and Xavier Chaplin. Add in transfers Mason Murphy (USC) and Chaplin (VT), and Arnold finally has a wall in front of him.

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📤 What They Lost:

• Jarquez Hunter, RB – Gone to the league after leading the SEC in YPC (6.4)
• Rivaldo Fairweather, TE – Undrafted NFL pickup, but top-4 in receptions
• Defensive depth, tight end size, and that RB1 power are gone

But Freeze isn’t panicking. He’s bullish on Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb to carry the backfield:

“Alston’s legit — we just haven’t let him eat yet.”

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📆 Key Game:

@ Oklahoma – September 20

It’s a homecoming for Arnold — the team he left, the fanbase that benched him, and the environment that shaped him.

Auburn hasn’t been great in close games. Five of their 7 losses last year were by 10 or fewer. Arnold lived those too.

This one’s personal and it could define the season.

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🔟 Top 10 Tigers to Know:

1. Jackson Arnold, QB – Fresh start. Big moment.
2. Cam Coleman, WR – No. 1 option, elite size.
3. Connor Lew, C – Glue guy, All-SEC second team
4. Eric Singleton Jr., WR – Explosiveness from the slot
5. Keldric Faulk, EDGE – All-SEC 1st team wrecking ball
6. Keyron Crawford, LB – Veteran signal-caller
7. Xavier Chaplin, OT – Anchoring the edge
8. Damari Alston, RB – Finally gets the carries
9. Kayin Lee, CB – Physical corner, sets the tone
10. Kaleb Harris, S – Ballhawk with range

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📊 2024 Recap (Painful but Necessary)

• 2–6 in SEC play
• 7 losses, 5 were one-score games
• Offense: 71st in scoring
• Defense: 28th in points allowed

Auburn didn’t lack effort. They just couldn’t finish.
Now, the roster’s more mature — and more explosive.

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🧨 Unc’s Outlook

There’s no more time to “build.”

Freeze enters Year 3 with:

• A dual-threat QB who’s already beaten Bama
• Legit SEC receiver talent
• A deeper OL and secondary
• Both UGA and Alabama coming to Jordan-Hare

If this team doesn’t go at least 7–5, there’s a problem.
They don’t have to win the West. But they do have to look dangerous doing it.

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🎯 The Call:

Win Total Projection: 7.5
Predicted Record: 8–4
They’ll pull one upset, lose one they shouldn’t, and finally end the losing streak.

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🟢 Game Buckets:

Likely Wins:

• at Baylor
• vs Arkansas
• vs UMass
• vs Vandy

Toss-Ups (50/50):

• at Oklahoma
• vs LSU
• at Texas A&M
• vs Florida
• at South Carolina
• vs Missouri

Likely Losses:

• vs Georgia
• vs Alabama