Auburn comes into the 2025 season looking to end the wandering in the wilderness as they set out not only to reach the postseason once again, but also to take the next step by returning to the conversation of being a National Championship contender for the first time since 2013. There have been numerous tough offseason conversations on the plains since the Tigers fell to 5-7 on the season last year, with no postseason or championship trophy to show for it. However, a couple of good recruiting classes have the Auburn fan base cautiously optimistic about this fall for the Tigers.

For the first time in the Hugh Freeze era, the Auburn Tigers will have a new starting quarterback as Payton Thorne graduated and went on to the next level. Replacing Thorne would be the household name of Jackson Arnold. Arnold comes to the Plains from Oklahoma, where he was a highly touted high school recruit before earning the starting job in 2024, before inconsistent play led to a benching through ten games last season. Arnold gives Hugh Freeze a quarterback of his choosing who fits his offensive system. Deuce Knight will likely be the backup QB once the season opener against Baylor rolls around on August 30th. Elsewhere on the offensive line, the Tigers have three returners: Connor Lew, Jeremiah Wright, and Dillon Wade, as well as Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons, the five returners on offense for the Auburn Tigers in 2025.

On the defensive side of the ball, Auburn has five returning starters from 2024 in Keldrick Faulk at defensive end, Kayin Lee, Jay Crawford, Kaleb Harris, and Sylvester Smith in the secondary. Last season, the defense performed positively, averaging 21.3 points allowed per game, which ranked 28th in the country in total defense. Elsewhere on the Auburn defense, the Tigers will rely on Malik Blocton, with transfers James Ash and Jay Hardy, who add talent and combine with the intangibles of leadership to give Auburn the potential to rank among the top half of the Southeastern Conference and the nation.

From a scheduling standpoint, Auburn has a very manageable schedule, with only a two-week span where the Tigers will play back-to-back road games at Oklahoma and Texas A&M on the 20th and 27th, respectively, to close out the month of September. Reasonably, the Tigers have a very winnable non-conference schedule, including the season opener at Baylor on August 30th, while maintaining the same opponents from last season within Southeastern Conference play. Reasonably, the Auburn Tigers should finish no less than 8-4 and have a real shot at 10-2 this season. The difference in a College Football Playoff bid and a Citrus Bowl might come down to a home game against Missouri, and a road trip to take on the Commodores of Vanderbilt, not to mention the possibility of an upset in either the game with Georgia or Alabama, both of which are at Jordan Hare Stadium this season.

Overall, Auburn has the potential with a manageable schedule and a talented roster; the 2025 season has all the makings of a special one on the Plains as Hugh Freeze and his Tigers look to reach the College Football Playoff and return to Atlanta to compete for an SEC Championship. Coach Freeze has won just about everywhere it’s been. Usually, it takes three years to see a finished product, but with the recruiting done by the coaching staff, the Tigers could take a massive step in the right direction this fall.

Auburn opens the season against Baylor on August 30th with a road trip to Waco, Texas, to take on the Bears.

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