Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby praises Auburn QB Jackson Arnold at SEC media days
Jeff Lebby and Jackson Arnold were set to be a dynamic duo at Oklahoma. However, both have gone their separate ways.
Lebby, the former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, left Norman ahead of the 2024 season to take over as head coach of Mississippi State. Arnold exited one year later to get a fresh start at Auburn. Despite both men competing for an SEC title at different programs, Lebby remains positive that Arnold will thrive at Auburn and will end his college days with a strong legacy.
Lebby was asked about Arnold during his time at SEC football media days this week, where he showed praise for Auburn's projected starting quarterback by calling Arnold "my No. 1 guy coming out of the class" that featured the likes of Arch Manning, Nico Iamaleava, and Dante Moore in 2023. Lebby also feels that Arnold will showcase the same potential he had as an Oklahoma signee, when he won Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas.
"He had all of it, and he still does," Lebby said. "He's the same young man."
One of the many challenges Arnold faced at Oklahoma was inconsistency at offensive coordinator. In addition to playing under Lebby, Arnold also served under Joe Jon Finley and Seth Littrell during his time in Norman. Derrick Nix will be his fourth offensive coordinator in three seasons, however, he will now play for an offensive-minded head coach in Hugh Freeze in Auburn. During Auburn's time at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Arnold described Auburn's offensive system as one that he is very familiar with.
"The biggest thing Coach Freeze sold me on with the scheme is, one, the RPO game, and, two, the deep shots. That's something that I've been doing a lot since high school," Arnold said. "And even my first couple of years in college was huge in the RPOs, huge in the deep shots."
As a freshman under Lebby in 2023, Arnold passed for 563 yards and four touchdowns while adding 116 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Arnold's dual-threat ability will surely be needed this season as Auburn is looking to become more dynamic on offense.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
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