Deuce Knight’s flip from Notre Dame to Auburn still stands as one of the biggest recruiting wins of former Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze. While many expected Freeze to give Knight the starting job this year, the five-star quarterback from the 2025 class ended up sitting behind Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels.
Auburn is now entering a fresh era under new head coach Alex Golesh. With renewed confidence in the offense, Knight’s role is also expected to rise quickly heading into the upcoming season.
Analyst Tips Deuce Knight as Surprise Heisman Contender in Alex Golesh’s Auburn Offense
PFSN deputy editor Oli Hodgkinson is among those who remain extremely confident in Knight’s future at Auburn, especially under Golesh’s offense. He is confident enough to make a striking prediction for Knight’s potential in 2026.
“Deuce Knight could win the 2026 Heisman in Alex Golesh’s new Auburn offense,” Hodgkinson said.
Hodgkinson pointed out that Golesh has engineered some of the most explosive offenses in recent college football, using former USF quarterback Byrum Brown as an example. Under Golesh, Brown totaled 3,158 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 1,008 rushing yards this season.
Hodgkinson said that if people were impressed by what Brown accomplished with the Bulls, they should wait until Golesh works with Knight. Knight saw limited action earlier in the year against Ball State, completing 2 of 5 passes for 20 yards in the 42-3 win.
Knight later earned his first Auburn start on Nov. 22 against Mercer, where he put up 401 total yards and tied the program’s single-game touchdown record with six scores. His breakout showing featured a 75-yard rushing touchdown on his first snap and a 91-yard touchdown pass, earning him SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Knight did not appear in the Iron Bowl last weekend, as the coaching staff chose Ashton Daniels to start against Alabama.
As of right now, Daniels and Knight are viewed as Auburn’s primary contenders for the QB1 role next season, especially with Jackson Arnold potentially entering the transfer portal.
When asked in his introductory press conference about managing the quarterback room, Golesh had an honest confession.
“There’s talented, talented dudes in that room,” Golesh said. “They have tape, certainly, at this level. We are evaluating it like crazy; we evaluated it coming in. I think the biggest thing we have to figure out right now is the competition part of that. Are you going to add someone else? Are you going to add multiple people?”
Auburn finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 record and ranks No. 43 in the PFSN College Football Playoff Ranking. It remains unclear whether Knight will test the transfer portal, but retaining him would provide the Tigers with top-tier talent for Golesh to build his offense around.
