Hugh Freeze enters his third season with the Auburn Tigers facing mounting pressure to deliver results. After just two seasons, Freeze holds an 11-14 record with the program.
Auburn has regressed under his leadership, dropping from 6-7 in his first season to 5-7 in 2023. The Tigers have now missed bowl games in two of the last three years after making nine consecutive appearances.
This performance falls short of expectations at Auburn and within the SEC.
Year 3 could present a unique opportunity for Freeze. For the first time in nearly two decades, SEC coaches won’t face a Nick Saban-led Alabama team. CBS Sports suggests Freeze must capitalize on this transition at Alabama or risk losing his job.
Auburn is legitimately approaching an inflection point that could define how its athletics department approaches the next decade. The Iron Bowl is ripe for a power shift for the first time since Nick Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007 and Tommy Tuberville left Auburn a year later. The GOAT is gone, and the power vacuum is apparent, but Freeze has not yet found a way to wrestle control from newbie Kalen DeBoer.
The time to strike is now. Alabama is coming off a disappointing debut under DeBoer, and with Auburn winning in-state recruiting battles and signing back-to-back top-10 classes, the Tigers need to win big in Freeze’s third season to capitalize. Everything is more difficult for Auburn in the Iron Bowl rivalry, but it’s that escalation in competitiveness provided by the rivalry that makes it possible every decade or so to unseat the Tide atop the state’s leaderboard. One more false move (another six- or seven-win season) by the Tigers opens the window for DeBoer to wrap his hands around Auburn’s throat. If that happens, the mighty men and women on The Plains will have no choice but to fire Freeze in December.
– Brandon Marcello, CBS Sports
The timing is critical. Alabama appears vulnerable as it transitions to the post-Saban era under DeBoer. The Crimson Tide hasn’t seemed this beatable since the early 2000s.
Auburn nearly upset Alabama in the 2023 Iron Bowl. The Tigers lost 27-24 after Jalen Milroe connected with Isaiah Bond on a fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds remaining. The 2024 matchup was less competitive, with Alabama winning 28-14 in Tuscaloosa.
Freeze is 1-7 against AP-ranked opponents at Auburn. His only win came against No. 15 Texas A&M last season.
The question remains whether Freeze will last until this year’s Iron Bowl. Auburn faces a challenging September schedule with consecutive road games at Oklahoma and Texas A&M before hosting Georgia. If Auburn struggles early, the administration might make a coaching change before the season concludes.
