Hugh Freeze on Deuce Knight: I wouldn’t hesitate to throw him into a game

Hugh Freeze has been vocal that he will consider using his backup quarterbacks this fall if they can help the team. That means Deuce Knight could get some run behind starting quarterback Jackson Arnold.

Freeze has been pleased with what he’s seen from the freshman. He opened up on his play as fall camp quickly comes to a close.

“He’s getting better,” Freeze said. “I think, I mean as far as sitting in there and making the throw he’s ready. He can do that.”

That’s not to say Deuce Knight is fully up to speed. But the freshman’s talent is undeniable.

As a recruit, Knight was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 25 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class. He also checked in as the No. 5 quarterback and the top overall player in the state of Mississippi.

Freeze, though, has some definite areas he wants to se Deuce Knight improve in. He broke them down.

“There’s still things; setting protections is new and that’s kind of an issue that he still has growth to do in it,” the Auburn head coach said. “Maybe recognizing, our defense is doing a really nice job of disguising things and all of [the quarterbacks] are missing some of that. It’s even hard for us as coaches when you’re watching film to see it. So they’re doing a nice job. He’s just got to improve in the mental side of it. Physically he can make all the throws right now.”

So how might Deuce Knight, who routinely blazed 4.5-second 40-yard dashes and jumped 40-plus inches vertically on the camp circuit, impact the Tigers this fall? Usage.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to throw him in a game,” Freeze said. “Hopefully we haven’t; we’ll start tomorrow trying to really get these, we haven’t studied, we’ve got the base down plan in but we don’t have, ‘all right, how are we setting these protections?’ So we’ll start working that tomorrow and hopefully all of them will feel better about that aspect of it by mid next week.”