Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze found himself playing defense off the field this offseason, pushing back against claims that he’s been spending more time on the golf course than in the recruiting war room. Freeze made it clear he’s not buying into the lazy coach narrative during a sit-down with former Georgia star David Pollack.
He bristled at the criticism on The Plains after a rough June on the recruiting trail. But let’s be real: Two middling seasons don’t exactly buy you a free pass with Auburn fans.
Why Is Hugh Freeze Defending His Golf Habits?
The offseason is the one time college football coaches can ease off the gas a bit, and summer? That’s the sweet spot. June and July might be light on pads and playbooks, but the recruiting grind never truly stops. Still, even the most dialed-in coaches need a breather. Let’s be honest, plenty of them hit the links to blow off steam.
Auburn’s Freeze is no stranger to a bit of fairway therapy. But Freeze isn’t buying the noise that golf has gotten in the way of gridiron business. Coming off back-to-back losing seasons, the Auburn head coach knows the only scoreboard that matters is the one on Saturdays.
“I really have never been a big planner for that. I like to be transparent and truthful,” Freeze said on the “See Ball Get Ball” podcast. “This is the time when people are looking for things to write about, and I do love golf, I enjoy playing. What people don’t realize: I assure you, I never missed a camp day or a recruiting day. But, if camp got over at 3 p.m. one day, and Jill and I go out at 4:30, we absolutely might do that, and I’m not apologizing for that part of it. My focus is 100 percent on getting Auburn in that win column this fall.”
Freeze might have a decent swing. But make no mistake, he’s aiming for a better record, not a better handicap.
What’s Behind Auburn Fans’ Golf Course Concerns?
There’s an old saying in college football: You don’t want your coach to be a great golfer. Why? Simple. In college football circles, if your coach is striping it down the fairway too well, fans start wondering if he’s spending more time on the course than in the war room.
Right now, with Auburn’s recruiting ranking dipping, folks are raising eyebrows and questions.
“I think the biggest thing causing most of it is the recruiting rankings right now because we have been top 10 my two years here in recruiting, and currently we are not,” Freeze said. “Good lord, we could spend 30 minutes on why I think that is, but there are many people right now who are operating under a different set of rules on what their interpretation is of this settlement and how you should operate.”
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“I’m going to operate in the manner that our administration has interpreted it,” the coach continued. “We will see. I think it is a long game play for us that will work out in our favor because we are doing it very transparent, and the way we believe the settlement is written to operate, if that makes sense.”
Freeze insists he hasn’t missed a camp or recruiting day, which seems to check out to his credit. But perception is everything in the SEC, and with the Tigers coming off two bumpy seasons, the optics of “Coach Golf Guy” aren’t exactly helping.
Fall camp is around the corner, and Saturdays will do the real talking. For now, Freeze better hope his game plan this season is as dialed in as his wedge game, because the only stroke fans care about is climbing back up the SEC standings.
