Auburn's true freshman quarterback will get the nod against Mercer.
When the Auburn Tigers take on the Mercer Bears on Saturday, they will have a new face leading them out onto the field when they begin their first offensive possession.
True freshman Deuce Knight will get the start at quarterback for the Tigers, marking the first one of his college career.
On3 was the first to report the news on Thursday afternoon.
This will only be the second game of his college career in which Knight has seen action. He appeared in Auburn's 42-3 win over Ball State in Week 2. He completed two of his five passing attempts for a total of 20 yards gained through the air.
On the ground, he had four attempts for a gain of 16 yards, including one carry for a gain of 12.
Knight came into his college career as one of the top-rated quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, Knight was a 5-star recruit, the No. 28 player nationally, the No. 5 quarterback in the class and the top player in the state of Mississippi.
Knight was originally committed to Notre Dame, but flipped to Auburn on Oct. 2, 2024. Aside from the Tigers and Fighting Irish, he had 23 other offers, including interest from programs such as Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss.
Knight will be the third quarterback to start a game for Auburn this season. Jackson Arnold started the first eight games of the season for the Tigers, but was benced during their 33-24 win over Arkansas in favor of Ashton Daniels.
After helping Auburn to a road win over Arkansas, Daniels got the nod against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. He will not be playing against Mercer to preserve his redshirt.
Knight and the Tigers will take on the Bears at 1 p.m. inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. The game will be livestreamed on SEC Network+.