Auburn just made a bold move that drastically changes how Alabama approaches must-win Iron Bowl matchup
Alabama had a wrench thrown in its preparations for the Iron Bowl.
The Alabama Crimson Tide is taking on the Eastern Illinois Panthers this week, whom they should run through, and then they end the regular season with a critical Iron Bowl matchup.
Alabama dropped all the way to 10th in the College Football Playoff in the latest rankings, but it still controls its destiny if it takes care of its own business. Regardless of how wrong the College Football Playoff selection committee was this week, the team knows it can only control what it can control.
That puts even more pressure on a must-win Iron Bowl against the Auburn Tigers, who have made an interesting change that throws a wrench in Alabama’s preparations.
Auburn Tigers are expected to start 5-star true freshman QB Deuce Knight vs Mercer
Auburn’s season hasn’t gone as planned, with a 4-6 record and many changes, including head coach Hugh Freeze being fired, and a quarterback carousel that’s been spinning all season long. The changes under center haven’t stopped, though, and interim head coach DJ Durkin has decided to start true freshman QB Deuce Knight this weekend against Mercer.
Auburn started with Jackson Arnold, who won some easier games to start the season, but was still very underwhelming for how he was projected to play this year. Then came the real test, which resulted in four straight losses in SEC play, and a rough start against the Arkansas Razorbacks, which led to Ashton Daniels getting the start, which led to a comeback win. After playing the last two games, Durkin has decided to make a move that allows Daniels to preserve his redshirt and see what the future could be like with Knight taking over as a 5-star recruit.
Alabama now has to prepare for a talented young quarterback with not much film
This is one major change that head coach Kalen DeBoer and Alabama have to worry about with so much unknown in Knight. Getting Knight the start against Mercer at least gives him first-team reps, so he’s not rolling out against Alabama with no groove or momentum. Knight is someone to worry about as a former 5-star recruit and a top QB recruit in his class. On3 had Knight as the 25th-overall recruit in the country and fifth-ranked QB in the 2025 recruiting class.
We’ve seen Alabama struggle many times in the past against quarterbacks who are just coming in, and they can’t get caught on their heels. Auburn has nothing to lose against Alabama, and adding a young, talented quarterback makes the game even more dangerous. Alabama has to be prepared for everything, including Arnold, in case Durkin mixes up the quarterback snaps.
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