Auburn football made a clean sweep of its quarterback room following the 2025 season, and two of those made their debuts for their new programs on Saturday.
Ashton Daniels took the field for the Florida State Seminoles, while Jackson Arnold was named the starter for UNLV just days before the season-opening game. Daniels led the Seminoles to a 34-17 win over New Mexico State, while Arnold had a great day passing but could not get the win as UNLV lost to Memphis in their season opener at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Both quarterbacks dealt with pressure issues on Saturday, similar to their time at Auburn. According to PFF, Daniels was under pressure in 12 of his 27 passing attempts. FSU Wire's JD McCarthy believes the pressure he faced forced
him to make questionable passing decisions.
"It was a mixed bag for Ashton Daniels in his debut," writes McCarthy. "He was constantly under pressure as FSU's offensive line struggled to protect him, but he also held onto the ball for to long at times and made a bad decision on his interception. He finished the day 17-27 passing for 202 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also ran for a touchdown."
The pressure was amplified for Arnold in UNLV's 27-21 loss to Memphis on Saturday as he was pressured 18 times according to PFF data. He was sacked seven times; two of those sacks occurred during the Rebels' final drive of the game. Despite facing constant pressure, Arnold found success through the air, completing 25 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. He rushed for 108 yards, but the high number of sacks trimmed his total to just 58 net yards on the ground.
The pair will continue to develop and work to find success with their new teams, hoping to do something they could not do at Auburn: lead their team to a postseason game. Auburn and new quarterback Byrum Brown will take the field on Saturday against the Baylor Bears to open their 2026 season.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: A pair of former Auburn QBs make debuts with new teams
