NCAAF

New Mexico hires Jason Eck as head coach

It’s hard to nitpick this hire. Eck has substantial ties out west and put together three strong seasons at Idaho. Bronco Mendenhall did a solid job in his first year in Albuquerque, but he bolted for Utah State, so the onus falls on Eck to continue pushing New Mexico forward.

Grade: B-

Oklahoma transfer QB Jackson Arnold commits to Auburn

Auburn officially has a quarterback conundrum. The Tigers recently signed four-star passer Deuce Knight, their presumed signal-caller of the future, but adding Arnold complicates things. Realistically, though, it won’t be much of a competition if Arnold doesn’t improve upon his underwhelming sophomore season with Oklahoma. The former five star finished the year with a QBR of just 47.8 to go along with 1,421 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. That won’t cut it on the plains, even given Auburn’s recent poor quarterback play.

Back to Knight, this move theoretically gives the blue-chip recruit a season to learn and develop, but what if Arnold plays well? That’s always a possibility, especially with Cam Coleman on hand. Of course, it’s better to have two quarterbacks than zero, but a messy situation could await Hugh Freeze. These matters tend to work themselves out, though.