FanSided’s John Buhler views Auburn football as being in a challenging position with Hugh Freeze. While his performance would typically warrant a firing in most eras—only Doug Barfield had a slower start in the 1970s—Buhler believes Auburn must maintain its reputation.
If Auburn fails to do so, the Tigers could risk becoming the most toxic job in the SEC, according to this national college football writer.
“For as bad as it looks for Freeze and Auburn right now, the Tigers need to either lose out or finish the year at 3-9 for them to potentially be looking for a new head coach,” Buhler wrote. “Cohen would have egg on his face for making such a terrible hire. Moving on from Freeze after two years would make this the most toxic job in the SEC by far.”
Auburn football is reluctantly sticking with Hugh Freeze, hoping for improvement. As noted by SI’s Keith Cummings, Auburn seems to be maintaining its position with Freeze, even if they recognize that stopping the bleeding might be the right move. However, there’s value in giving Freeze more time due to his recruiting success.
He needs to keep his 2025 and 2026 classes intact as those seasons approach, while also hoping his 2023 and 2024 recruits remain committed despite ongoing disappointing results.
That’s easier said than done.
One would expect Freeze’s recruiting pitch to focus on revitalizing the AU brand. If that’s the case, these recent losses shouldn’t impact the incoming classes too much.
The concern is whether recruits are questioning if the “missing pieces” they represent can turn the program around, especially under leadership that may not be executing effectively. Therefore, securing a few wins this season is crucial.
After all, these 2024 recruits heard the same recruiting pitch.
Leave a Reply