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__
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
George Pickens blasts Steelers at training camp, says Cowboys run 'better plays'
Former disgruntled Steelers WR George Pickens is back at it again — taking subtle jabs at his time in the Steel City. On Day 1 of Cowboys training camp, Pickens spoke to reporters during media availability — seemingly taking little shots at his former team along the way, including calling it a 'breath of fresh air' to be in Dallas over Pittsburgh. When Pickens was asked if he's excited to become more than just a 50/50, jump-ball type receiver in Dallas, Pittsburgh's former wideout took the opportunity to blast the Steelers' offensive play-calling: 'Yeah, I'm definitely excited to run better plays, for sure,' Pickens told reporters, via Joseph Hoyt. This wasn't the first shot Pickens has taken at his former team since leaving Pittsburgh — as he previously took to social media to call the Steelers the 'cheapest organization' days after being traded to the Cowboys. The criticisms surrounding Pittsburgh's offensive predictability and poor play-calling are nothing new — but there's hope that Arthur Smith can turn things around in his second year as the Steelers' offensive coordinator. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Steelers legend James Harrison's wild interaction with K Chris Boswell resurfaces
A hilarious and frightening interaction between Steelers kicker Chris Boswell and legend James Harrison has begun to resurface and make waves on social media. The viral story in question is from a January episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast, where Boswell revealed how his first interactions with Harrison went. "I got to go home for the weekend and come back, and Deebo, my very first practice, stood over the holder," Boswell said. "So the holder's waiting to get a snap, standing over his shoulder, and [James Harrison says], 'I dare you to miss this kick. I dare you to miss it. You miss this kick, you wash my back in the shower.' "Even after, I obviously had a decent season that year, but team meeting room, when I used to go, I would sit here and Deebo would sit here — and he would just stare at me. Mike Tomlin's up there, giving his team presentation, and he's just staring at me like this the entire meeting. Just intimidating." As hilarious as Boswell's retelling of the story was, he admitted that the Steelers' kicking woes likely painted the positional group in a bad light — clearly in the crosshairs of Harrison, where no sane man wants to be. Harrison's intimidation may have helped create one of the best to ever do it, as Boswell has an opportunity to become the most accurate kicker in NFL history this season — just 1.1% behind former Ravens K Justin Tucker's 89.1% all-time record. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Cowboys officially lose a 2024 draft pick to another NFL team
Sometimes draft picks just don't work out for the teams that picked them. Underperformance, scheme changes, misevaluations, injuries, patience and general mishandling can all lead to a premature parting of the ways. Drafting isn't an exact art and situations change. Players move on and that's exactly what happened to one of the Dallas Cowboys' 2024 draft picks. In a move to clear roster space for free agent Perrion Winfrey this past spring, the Cowboys parted ways seventh rounder Justin Rogers out of Auburn who got the pink slip. Rodgers has just signed on with the Seattle Seahawks this week. At 6-foot-2, 338 pounds, Rogers was once billed as a potential solution to the Cowboys run-stuffing problems in the middle of their line. A rotational plugger had been lacking in Dallas for some time and finding a stubborn speed bump became a low-key priority each offseason. Unfortunately, Rogers never quite worked out. Despite all of Dallas' ongoing issues at defensive tackle, Rogers failed to make the cut out of camp. After latching on with the Cincinnati Bengals for the 2024 regular season, the Cowboys re-signed their former pick in the offseason of 2025. The reunion proved to be short lived. Winfrey plays a different brand of DT entirely. Fitting the 3-technique profile, Winfrey is one of a handful of players competing for snaps behind Osa Odighizuwa. It's the 300+ pound rookies Jay Toia and Tommy Akingbesote who are what likely made Rogers expendable. Now it's up to them to do what Rogers could not: make the final roster and improve the Cowboys run defense inside. In 2022 the Cowboys were in a similar situation with rookie defensive tackle John Ridgeway. Facing a roster crunch at positions elsewhere, Ridgeway found himself on the wrong side of the bubble when it came time to trim the final roster. Ridgeway went on to sign with Washington and has been a rotational piece in the years since. Rogers hopes for the same fortune in his post-Cowboys employment. The Cowboys, on the other hand, can't afford to lose another promising draft pick to a rival club. You can follow Reid on X @ReidDHanson and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
