This is an opinion column.

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Former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold ditched Oklahoma in favor of Auburn.

It looks like Hugh Freeze learned his lesson. And maybe Arnold did, too.

Last season, Auburn’s coach had a chance to upgrade at quarterback, but instead chose to stick with incumbent Payton Thorne. It wasn’t out of loyalty. Freeze apparently didn’t want to spend the money on a quarterback when he knew his team wasn’t going to be a contender for the SEC championship or College Football Playoff.

The transfer portal has been open for a week this Monday, and Auburn is making serious moves. But a good quarterback can only do so much.

Just ask Bo Nix.

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Anyone who knows ball understands that it takes a quality offensive line, too. Arnold didn’t have that at Oklahoma, so he waved so long to Norman and coach Brent Venables. Arnold didn’t do it without some personal insurance, though. In addition to Arnold, Auburn’s Freeze also went into the portal and grabbed a veteran offensive lineman.

Xavier Chaplin is a 6-7, 323-pound offensive tackle from South Carolina. He played at Virginia Tech for three years, but now he’ll be protecting Arnold full time at Auburn.

The rebuild at Auburn is almost complete. It took a couple years, but Freeze’s plan is coming into focus.

Auburn has had two Top 10 recruiting classes, and Freeze believes his Tigers need three in a row to be at the same level with rivals Georgia and Alabama. Auburn has an advantage in 2025, though, and we all know what it is. The Tigers get Alabama and Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Here’s my bold prediction for 2025. Auburn will make the next College Football Playoff ahead of Alabama.

I’m not saying Kalen DeBoer is already on the hot seat, but things don’t get easier for Alabama’s new coach next season. The Crimson Tide missed out on the playoffs last week despite home victories this season against Georgia and Auburn. Next season, the Tide gets both teams on the road.

DeBoer’s Alabama went 2-3 on the road this season with losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. The loss at Oklahoma on Nov. 23 did three things. One, it kept Alabama out of the College Football Playoff. Two, it made Arnold a lot of money. And, three, it delayed the inevitable for OU coach Brent Venables.

If there’s one SEC coach whose seat is hotter than the rest going into 2025, then it’s Venables at Oklahoma. The Sooners went 6-6 overall in 2024 and 2-6 in the SEC. OU’s victories were against the SEC’s Alabama contingent, but then the Sooners’ starting quarterback left for Auburn. That hurts.

Remember when Venables said he chose to coach at Oklahoma over Auburn? Looks like Auburn might be winning in the end.

College football teams need at least one billionaire backer these days to remain elite. Oregon has Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. Auburn has Jimmy Rane, the founder of Yellawood. Freeze will be successful at Auburn as long as the money keeps pouring in.

Freeze’s record is 11-14 in his first two seasons at Auburn, but he’s done well to rebuild the Tigers after former coach Bryan Harsin tore down the program.

Harsin will go down as the worst coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference. He was a horrible recruiter, but it wasn’t just that. Harsin was gifted quarterback Bo Nix and then he ran Nix off.

Plenty of people questioned Auburn’s decision to hire Freeze — me included — but he deserves credit for scoring major recruiting wins on the Plains following Apocalypse Harsin. Freeze isn’t done, but the Tigers are back. Best of all, they’re doing it with homegrown talent.

When it comes to recruiting, Freeze now owns the state of Alabama. He out-recruited former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Georgia coach Kirby Smart for key players in 2024. It wasn’t a fluke, but a preview. With the class of 2025, Auburn landed 11 recruits from Alabama and DeBoer managed just two.

No one should be questioning DeBoer’s ability to sell Auburn anymore. The fans are behind him and so is the money. The in-state questions are now shifting west. Can the Tide’s DeBoer keep pace?

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”