Greg McElroy Predicts 'Difficult Transition' For Former Five-Star Quarterback

Greg McElroy Predicts 'Difficult Transition' For Former Five-Star Quarterback originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Auburn Tigers experienced inconsistent play from quarterback Payton Thorne over the last two seasons, who is now in the NFL.

Thorne was a Michigan State Spartans transfer and ended his Auburn career with 4,468 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Fast forward to 2025, and the Tigers went in the portal again to find their next starting quarterback.

Oklahoma Sooners transfer Jackson Arnold is expected to start under center, but Greg McElroy thought the move could be a "difficult transition" on a recent episode of "Always College Football."

Arnold was a former five-star prospect and the No. 4 quarterback in the Rivals Industry Rankings for the 2023 class.

"Jackson Arnold comes over from Oklahoma," McElroy said. "Didn't work out at Oklahoma, and this is going to be a little bit of a difficult transition, I think, to an offense that is quarterback-friendly, but does require split-second decisions by the quarterback after the ball is snapped. And for a guy that has been a little bit turnover prone, and a guy that at times has shown maybe not the most confidence in his own ability, this could be a more intriguing storyline than we're probably willing to address right now."

The turnovers have been an issue for Arnold since he moved to the college level. As a true freshman at Oklahoma, he threw for 563 passing yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

He started the Sooners' bowl game that season against the Arizona Wildcats, throwing three interceptions and losing one fumble.

The turnovers continued last season at Oklahoma after he was named the starter. Arnold started the first four games before being benched against the Tennessee Volunteers. He was named the starter again against the South Carolina Gamecocks and started the remainder of the year.

Arnold finished his season with Oklahoma, throwing three interceptions and fumbling nine times.

Despite the uncertainty around Arnold, McElroy believes Auburn will improve the most in the SEC in 2025. Head coach Hugh Freeze thinks the Tigers will compete for a 12-team College Football Playoff spot as well.

Regardless of what happens, it is a make-or-break season for the program.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.