Auburn star freshman QB Deuce Knight explodes for six touchdowns, but how will Tigers prevent him from transferring?
Deuce Knight dominated, but was his absurdly impressive debut just tryout tape for the transfer portal?
The Auburn Tigers finally breathed their first breath of fresh life on Saturday as they obliterated Mercer 62-17 in a much-needed win that saves their bowl eligibility hopes and sets up a fun high-stakes Iron Bowl next week (Auburn could eliminate Alabama from the playoff).
Beating an FCS team should be expected, but Mercer was 9-1 prior to the game, and destroying them in the way the Tigers did, with the ridiculous breakout performance from five-star freshman quarterback Deuce Knight, is what made Saturday’s game truly special.
Unfortunately for Auburn fans, given how this season has gone, the No.1 worry now is that their five-star freshman phenom quarterback simply transfers out after putting on that absurdly impressive six-touchdown showing. How will Auburn actually keep him home?
Key Stats & Facts from Deuce Knight’s Auburn debut
- Deuce Knight tallied 401 total yards and six touchdowns against Mercer on Saturday
- Knight completed 75% of his passes, averaged nearly 12 yards per pass attempt, and 18 yards per carry
- Four out of Knight’s six touchdowns came on plays of 20+ yards through the air and on the ground
Deuce Knight dominates for Auburn, but will his time with the Tigers be short-lived?
Knight posted one of the most wildly impressive debut performances in Tigers history at quarterback on Saturday. Six total touchdowns. Four of them went for 20+ yards. A 75-yard touchdown on his first play (as you can see in the post below). Knight was a highlight machine for Auburn.
Unfortunately, the transfer portal concerns with Knight have been escalating for several weeks already. An insane performance from Knight only further ensures that opposing teams will be pursuing him hard this offseason.
About a month ago, multiple sources close to the program started to express that Knight and his camp might already be looking to transfer. The Locked On Auburn podcast (among others) got wind of this and began expressing concern as early as October.
A to Z Sports beat writers reached out directly to those in the know and heard the exact same thing. Knight may have already made his decision (to transfer or not). Speculation will only continue to rise if Knight has another good game against Alabama this coming week.
However, if Knight does find immense success down the stretch here and Auburn can retain some of the key talents around him, the Tigers could keep him home. Knight has been extremely outspoken in his praise for multiple teammates that he loves playing for, especially wide receivers Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons – Simmons he calls the “craziest athlete you’ll ever see in this world”.
Knight’s chemistry is clear already with some of his weapons, especially Simmons, whom he found on a 45-yard flick of a beautiful pass that ended up going for a 91-yard touchdown on Saturday.
The obvious keys to retaining Knight come down to three things. One, the organization has to regain his faith in them after Hugh Freeze foolishly kept him on the bench for the entire season, leading to his initial considerations of transferring that began at least a month ago if what many sources say are true. Two, the team must retain Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, and frankly, the vast majority of their incredibly talented roster by paying up (again) to keep a strong core around Knight.
Three, Auburn has to absolutely nail their head coach hire, bringing in someone who will instill confidence in Knight and build excitement for a bright immediate future.
Doing all three of those will be tough, but if Auburn fans want any hope for better days soon, the Tigers have to get this figured out. Knight is the future at quarterback, and if the upside he flashed Saturday is any indication, he could take Auburn to extremely special places next year and beyond.
We’ll be back with more Auburn Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
