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Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold has come out in defense of the Tigers coach, Hugh Freeze, amidst growing criticism about his golfing activities. The junior quarterback is appearing at the SEC Media Days ahead of his first season at Auburn after transferring from Oklahoma.
Arnold defended his new coach while appearing on the show “SEC This Morning,” where he said:
“Coach Freeze loves to play golf. At the end of the day, you’ve got to have something outside of football to go and kind of get away from football. I feel like if Auburn was—if the team last year was 8-4, 9-3, we’re not even having the same conversation right now. We didn’t make a bowl game last year, maybe recruiting is a little shaky right the second, I guess you can go and blame that. I bet you Coach Freeze is playing golf just as much last year as he is this year.”
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Hugh Freeze has been known to be an avid golf player. However, he has come under criticism for this recently, especially by Tigers fans who are not pleased with the team’s 5-7 finish last season. News outlet AL.com had reported in June that Freeze had played golf 10 times just last month and up to 20 times this year.
This isn’t an issue, as far as Arnold, who admitted to being a golf player himself, is concerned. He continued:
“People have to have outlets outside of football. I play golf. I’ll go and play two times a week, if I have the time to, because I enjoy playing. It’s summer, you’re grinding, you’re working out with the guys. You get your football in, and after that, I go home and I decompress, whether that’s playing golf or watching TV or cooking or grilling out or doing whatever.”
Analyst predicts Jackson Arnold impact for Hugh Freeze’s Auburn
College football analyst David Pollack has predicted Hugh Freeze will take full advantage of Jackson Arnold’s strength for Auburn’s offense. He said:
“The biggest question mark is Jackson Arnold, and it’s not even close. Last year was tough. But I do think the one thing that I know about [Arnold] is that he’s an elite runner. And I do know Hugh Freeze with an elite runner at quarterback is a dangerous freaking animal.”
Jackson Arnold started in nine games for the Sooners last season, throwing for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed for 444 yards and three touchdowns on 150 carries.
