Hugh Freeze could be feeling the pressure at Auburn, but he didn’t come here to play it safe—and now things are heating up. After two seasons, the Tigers’ 11-14 record is far from his impressive 65.8% career win rate before Auburn. The hype has faded, recruiting is declining, and fan patience is wearing thin. Adding to the pressure, a former NFL QB voiced his “worries” about Freeze’s future if this season doesn’t go as planned, as doubts grow and the path back to relevance seems increasingly challenging.
Auburn hasn’t reached the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014, yet Circa Sports is offering +300 odds for them to make it this year. The Tigers last played for a national title in 2013 and haven’t achieved 10 wins since 2017. Hugh Freeze is still pursuing his first winning season at Auburn, and a playoff appearance would secure it. FanDuel has set its season win total at 7.5. So, it’s pretty clear that they are entering this season with a lot of hype. But it looks like an ex-NFL QB isn’t buying this hype.
That’s right. Danny Kanell didn’t hold back his bold take on Hugh Freeze’s future with the program, and that’s no bluff. “I am worried about my man Hugh Freeze. My golfing buddy Hugh Freeze. There’s been too—It just feels like disaster could be coming. I worry about the narrative with Jackson Arnold. I think sometimes it gets overblown, but I do think he does have a problem with confidence, I think that impacted him at Oklahoma with the expectations around him, with all these weapons being in Hugh Freeze’s system,” he said on The Cover 3 Podcast.
Jackson Arnold’s stats from last year—1,421 yards, 12 touchdowns, and only 3 interceptions—appear impressive initially, but his performance faltered under pressure. In Oklahoma’s SEC debut against Tennessee, Arnold struggled significantly. By halftime, he’d already turned the ball over three times, including two fumbles, with the latter leading to his benching. Brent Venables replaced him with Michael Hawkins Jr., who also had turnover problems.
This setback poses a crucial question for Arnold: can he bounce back and demonstrate poise under pressure? This doubt makes sense under Hugh Freeze, as Auburn’s loss to Cal, where Payton Thorne threw four interceptions, proves it valid. Now, Arnold must avoid a similar collapse, especially with Deuce Knight eager to seize any opportunity if Arnold can’t make an impact. And even Kanell’s pointing out the same: “I just—and I know he’s got incredible wide receivers to throw to, and I also think they might be playing other quarterbacks this season, like if it doesn’t work out.”
And here comes the worst part. As FanDuel has the Tigers as 1.5-point underdogs against the Baylor Bears, and even Danny Kanell is doubling down on the same saying, “So, to your question, the non-conference isn’t—the Baylor game is so big to start off the season. They are an underdog in that game. I’m on the under. I think it might—and I do—if they’re on the under, I think that probably means the end of Hugh Freeze.” Now, if Hugh Freeze’s team fails to turn this prediction around, it might end up being an ugly season for Hugh Freeze.
Surprisingly, despite bringing in key transfers, they are still standing at this position.
Hugh Freeze’s big NIL investment finally pays off
Hugh Freeze’s spring was a rollercoaster. His roster fell out, with 23 players departing via the transfer portal during the winter and spring. But now, the situation has flipped. Freeze is turning the tables, sparking anxiety among rival programs by securing Eric Singleton Jr., a highly sought-after wide receiver from Georgia Tech.
On the August 7 episode of the Cover 3 Podcast, Bud Elliot addressed the biggest offseason question: “Who’s the envy of everyone? Who’s making everyone a little jealous after the transfer portal?” His immediate response: “It’s Eric Singleton. Like, that’s talking to 20 guys. He was more than half of their answers. Like, GMs seemed to love him. And Auburn obviously paid the kid a fortune. And I think it’s very worth it. Like everybody acknowledges, like, ‘Yeah, that dude’s worth the money.’” Freeze didn’t just overtake powerhouses like LSU, Texas, Miami, and Ole Miss; he proved what he’s capable of.
For Hugh Freeze, this is a statement. Auburn’s passing game was nothing but a disaster, never ranking higher than 59th in the past five years. Now, he has a million-dollar NIL receiver in Eric Singleton Jr., leaving rival programs to wonder what could have been. And let’s be real, the Tigers haven’t seen a wide receiver drafted in the second round since Tim Carter in 2002, and Freeze aims to change that. Auburn has needed a player like KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and now they have a wideout who can excel.
And it’s pretty clear that he made the right decision, as Singleton is more than just hype; he’s a stat machine. In 2023, he led all freshmen nationally with 64.2 receiving yards per game. Across two seasons at Georgia Tech, he totaled 1,468 yards and nine touchdowns, with 56 catches for 754 yards and three scores last season alone. And when Bud Elliot said, “And one of the reasons why I liked him so much is they played like a murderous row of a schedule at Georgia Tech, and he like made a bunch of future NFL defensive backs look bad like consistently. So, worth the money there for sure with Eric Singleton.” He wasn’t bluffing at all.
Now, with a warning sign hanging on his shoulders and a remarkable portal addition, let’s wait and see how this season turns out for Hugh Freeze.
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