ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. – It’s not easy to say no to the Manning family but Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold preferred to think of it as saying yes to the Tigers’ receivers when he declined an invitation to last week’s Manning Passing Academy.
“’I don’t want to miss a day of throwing with my guys,’” Arnold told head coach Hugh Freeze, explaining his decision after attending the previous two summers. “’The most important thing for me is to be with my teammates.’”
Freeze shared that story Wednesday with reporters at Willow Point Country Club before visiting with approximately 350 Auburn fans at the AMBUSH event hosted by the Auburn Alumni Association and the Lake Martin Auburn Club.
“His confidence has grown and grown since he’s been here,” Freeze said of Arnold, who transferred to Auburn in December after two seasons at Oklahoma. “Having those receivers to throw to is helpful. I’m excited about what Jackson brings to the table to lead us. He’s a confident, talented young man and someone I believe in strongly.”
Much of Wednesday's discussion revolved around the transition to college athletics’ new revenue sharing era.
“The main thing to me is retaining our current roster and then filling the gaps, whether it’s the portal or high school recruiting,” Freeze said. “Once things shake out with the reality of revenue sharing and outside NIL deals, and we get to the facts of all of that, we’ll be in the game with many top players.”