Hugh Freeze left Liberty following the 2022 season to join the Auburn Tigers in hopes of advancing his coaching career, but things didn’t go as planned. After Auburn finished the 2024 season with a 2-6 record in the Southeastern Conference, many expected a strong comeback this year.
Despite having several talented players on the roster, Auburn has a 1-5 SEC record this season. This disappointing performance led to Freeze being dismissed midseason amid this year’s coaching shuffle.
CFB Analyst Claims Hugh Freeze Anticipated Auburn Challenges Before Coaching a Game
Freeze finished his tenure at Auburn with a 15-19 overall record, going 6-16 in the SEC and 1-12 against ranked teams. “The Next Round Live” podcast co-host Ryan Brown said Freeze may have anticipated his struggles at Auburn from the start.
“I had someone tell me that knows you very well about what I want to say, it was (because) he took the job,” Brown said.
“I want to say it was in the spring, talking to him, and this was right after you’re taking the job, he had not coached a game yet. He told this guy I think I’ve made a mistake and it wasn’t Auburn, it was how much the SEC had changed just since he had been at the SEC.
“Like he was slapped in the face with a new way of doing things in college football, especially at a power school like the SEC, and it was eye-opening for him. I think he realized pretty early on that I may not be equipped for this. So I think he had doubts about even doing this before he ever coached a game, and it showed.”
Hugh Freeze apparently had doubts about coaching at Auburn in the new SEC…before he even coached a game.@RyanBrownLive explained on the latest pod: pic.twitter.com/6FxNyxYAwZ
— SDS Podcast (@TheSDSPod) November 7, 2025
Auburn’s 10-3 loss to Kentucky last week marked Freeze’s final game leading the Tigers, as Auburn athletic director John Cohen decided to fire him.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he believed Freeze “was a good fit” for Auburn and that he doesn’t support midseason firings. Meanwhile, Freeze’s daughter, Madi Freeze, responded to her father’s critics last week.
“People can say what they want about money – ‘go and live your life and get paid, whatever, blah blah blah.’ That’s just not how it is,” Madi said. “There’s not enough money that can make you feel like this was worth it or you wanted this to happen.
“Obviously, we came here hoping to restore a program, and we were promised four years. And that didn’t happen. There’s frustration, there’s hurt, and more than anything, I hurt for my dad, who loved the people in that building. It’s devastating that they will carry on without him.”
Madi also said that Hugh’s health declined in the months following an early-stage prostate cancer diagnosis. After the diagnosis was made public in February, he was cleared to continue coaching during his treatment.
Meanwhile, Auburn is preparing for its upcoming game against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday without Freeze on the sidelines. The Tigers are ranked No. 48 in the PFSN CFB Payoff Meter.
