Hugh Freeze looked like the breath of fresh air Auburn so desperately needed. They were willing to hire him despite the huge scandal that ensued when he was at Ole Miss. After all, they hired Bruce Pearl, who led the Tigers basketball team to newer heights. Freeze, on the other hand, has been nowhere on that level. With recent uproar over the HC’s “expectations” for the Tigers’ 2025 campaign, a harsher truth about his fate has now come to light. And with the way he’s faring at the program, that $20.3 million buyout is turning out to be a problem for management.
Auburn is trying to douse the fires left by Freeze’s comments about what he thinks fans should be expecting from this season. “We could have won some games last year. And we’ve got to make sure we’re excellent in those areas that cost us. Those that put us in a position to be at least bowl-eligible if not more. I see no reason that we shouldn’t do that. Those are expectations that our people should expect,” he said while appearing on a May 16 appearance for Next Round Live. And that caused fans and experts to tear into the HC. Is bowl game-appearance where Freeze thinks the bar is worthy to be set at?
Situations are dire for Freeze. This is his 3rd year as the Tigers’ HC, and it’s time he pulls up his sleeves. In both his previous seasons, Freeze finished with more losses than wins. Now, he does have a Top-10 recruiting class for this year. Still, an insider explained the required logic one needs to use when arriving at a baseline expectation for Freeze and Auburn to survive. “I think if you’re 8 and four, you save your job, because that schedule does have its tall task,” Insider Cole Thompson said in a May 23 video of College Football Addiction.
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Auburn will be working to improve its 5-7 finish in a schedule that includes Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, and a rejuvenated Baylor. Thompson thought that an 8-4 record seems possible with the way the team is looking. “You have two back-to-back recruiting classes and you also have a top five transfer portal class.” Recruiting was a key issue that cost the Tigers a lot in 2024, like not getting a quarterback from the transfer portal. This year, they did not make that mistake, and now have Jackson Arnold in their QB room.
But, Thompson said that expecting otherwise, even with such factors, hints at flaws on Freeze’s end. “My big point is, when it comes down to all of those assets being added to your roster, when you feel like that your team is complete enough, but you’re still not seeing the results, that’s coaching. That’s development. That’s on you internally as a program.” Auburn’s top brass are in quite a dilemma at the moment. Their gamble on Hugh Freeze has set them up for a loss. And getting rid of him would pinch their pockets. Is the program going to continue dealing with this $20.3 million-worthy liability for the long run, then?
Auburn management at crossroads with Hugh Freeze and the 2025 season
Freeze’s contract with the Tigers extends till 2029. Which means, not even half the stipulated time has passed, and the HC is yet to make a mark. But his 2025 roster is key for Freeze to get the management to once again rest their confidence in him as the head coach. The team is looking far better than its previous counterpart, especially with Arnold in the mix. Freeze will back his QB with a WR room that consists of Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons, who ran for a collective 1,049 yards. Transfers Eric Singleton Jr. and Horatio Fields also come in as great recruits.
It’s a tough situation for the Auburn program. They’re slated to keep Freeze for at least 5 more years, and hope that this is the season he can finally pull Auburn and himself out of a crisis. The last time Auburn won a bowl game was in 2018, when they defeated Purdue. Freeze dug himself deeper into a trench last year by failing to qualify for a bowl game appearance. This year, much to Freeze’s delight, there are hopes of him living up to his words. CBS Sports predicts that Auburn will likely head to the Gasparilla Bowl to face Memphis.
Hugh Freeze has no time to waste. He may have a contract until 2029, but that does not guarantee his security if he manages to fail his 3rd attempt as the Tigers’ HC. Can he meet his bowl game expectations, and hopefully do better than that level this season?
The post HugH Freeze in Hot Water as Auburn’s $20.3M Liability Triggers Blunt Exposé on HC’s Future appeared first on EssentiallySports.