Jackson Arnold will aim to become one of Auburn's top passers in program history. Here is who he will have to beat to claim the title.
Auburn football will trot a new quarterback on the field this season in Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold.
Arnold has college experience, making 10 starts for the Sooners between 2023 and 2024. In that time, he threw for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns. He made his biggest splash last season by passing for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns in a role where he mostly held the starting quarterback job, but was platooned in several situations.
Arnold will have a fresh start at Auburn and will have plenty of reliable targets to pass to, such as Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton, and Horatio Fields. With two seasons of eligibility remaining, Arnold could cement himself as one of the greatest passers in Auburn history.
How much work does Arnold need to do to become one of the program's best passers? Here is a look at the top 10 passers in Auburn history, since 2000.
No. 10 Sean White
White played just two seasons at Auburn, throwing over 1,000 yards in each season. He played a large role in getting Auburn to the Sugar Bowl in 2016 by passing for 1,679 yards and nine touchdowns in a two-quarterback system. White ended his Auburn career with 2,845 yards and a completion percentage of 61.5%.
No. 9 Cam Newton
Cam Newton had the best season of any Auburn quarterback in history during the 2010 season by passing for 2,854 yards and 30 scores while adding 1,473 yards and 20 scores on the ground. However, he played just one season at Auburn, which explains his placement on the list. Despite having the ninth-highest passing yards among Auburn quarterbacks since 2000, he ranks No. 11 in Auburn history in career touchdown passes, leading several notable quarterbacks Reggie Slack, Ben Leard, and Jeff Burger.
No. 8 Chris Todd
Before Cam Newton, there was Chris Todd. The Texas Tech transfer joined Auburn's roster in 2008, where he split time with Kodi Burns before taking over the job full-time in 2009 when Burns moved to wide receiver. He completed 60% of his passes in 2009 for 2,612 yards and 22 scores and led the Tigers to the Outback Bowl in year one of the Gene Chizik era. In his two years at Auburn, Todd passed for 3,515 yards.
No. 7 Ben Leard
We go all the way to the beginning of the millennium for the No. 7 passer on the list, Ben Leard. Leard and Jeff Klein split time at the position in 1999 before Leard took over a majority of the snaps in 2000, where he passed for 2,158 yards and 12 scores. He ended his Auburn career with 4,289 yards and 28 touchdowns.
No. 6 Payton Thorne
Auburn's most recent QB1 checks in at No. 6 on the list after passing for 4,468 yards and 37 touchdowns in two seasons on the Plains. Thorne cracked the top 10 in career passing touchdowns last season by throwing 21 touchdown passes, pushing him to No. 7 all time ahead of the likes of Jarrett Stidham, Nick Marshall, and Patrick Nix.
No. 5 Nick Marshall
Nick Marshall led Auburn to its second BCS National Championship appearance of the 2010s in 2013 by passing for 1,976 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 1,068 yards and 12 scores. His passing game was taken to another level in 2014 when he eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark on his way to posting 4,508 yards during his two seasons in Auburn.
No. 4 Jarrett Stidham
Stidham, like so many others on this list, made a giant impact in just two seasons as Auburn's quarterback. Stidham led the Tigers to wins over Georgia and Alabama, who were ranked No. 1 at the time of their game with Auburn, and to the SEC Championship Game in 2017. He led the SEC that season in completed passes (246) and completion percentage (66.5%) while passing for 3,158 yards and 18 touchdowns. While the Tigers did not enjoy as much success in 2018, Stidham still managed to post 2,794 passing yards and 18 touchdowns en route to a 5,952 yard total at Auburn.
No. 3 Brandon Cox
Brandon Cox appeared in 44 games between 2004-07, and passed for at least 2,000 yards in his three seasons as the starting quarterback from 2005-07. His best season was in 2005, when he followed Jason Campbell's stellar 2024 season by passing for 2,324 yards and 15 touchdowns. He ended his Auburn career with 6,959 yards and 42 touchdowns.
No. 2 Bo Nix
Maybe one of the biggest "what-ifs" regarding recent Auburn quarterbacks is Bo Nix. Nix is the program's second top passer since 2000, and was just over 50 yards away from becoming the Tigers' record-holder. However, he went on to pass for 8,101 yards and 74 touchdowns at Oregon over the final two years of his career. He ended his collegiate days with 15,351 yards and 113 touchdowns, but at Auburn, he threw for 7,250 yards and 39 touchdowns in three seasons.
No. 1 Jason Campbell
Jason Campbell takes the top spot after passing for 7,299 yards between 2001-04. He passed for over 2,000 yards in 2003 and 2024, combining to pass for 30 touchdowns. In 2004, Campbell passed for 2,700 yards and 20 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to an undefeated season and a Sugar Bowl championship.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football's top passers since 2000
Category: General Sports
