ESPN Puts Auburn's Hugh Freeze on the Hot Seat in 2025

Auburn Tigers fans aren't likely to be surprised to find head coach Hugh Freeze needs to show significant improvement in 2025.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze needs to improve dramatically on his 11-14 record through two seasons. - Austin Perryman, Auburn University /

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze is 11-14 in his two seasons on the Plains. So it’s no surprise ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg included Freeze on his coaching hot seat list for 2025. 

Freeze is joined by the likes of Mike Norvell of Florida State, Brent Venables of Oklahoma, and Kalen DeBoer of Alabama among others.

Rittenberg points out, Freeze has already had a pair of honeymoon campaigns which have failed to live up to expectations, despite the ugly state of the program Freeze inherited when he took over.

“Freeze's return to the SEC in late 2022 sparked widespread reaction, but few could deny he fit Auburn's vision for improvement,” wrote Rittenberg on ESPN+ “Auburn's personnel had dropped off, and Freeze had the roots and results in the deep South to turn things around. But Tigers fans are still waiting, as Freeze sits at 11-14 overall and 5-11 in SEC play. His tenure includes home losses to New Mexico State, Cal, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Oklahoma.”

While ambitious recruitment and strong local bonds can start turning the program around if they connect, time is not a luxury Freeze can now afford, especially with shock defeats littering his resume.

The rubber will meet the road in 2025 for Freeze, so solving the never ending riddle under center holds the key to competitive survival.

Everyone is pretty high on Freeze as the recruiting guru, but the transfer portal addition of quarterback Jackson Arnold has all the hallmarks of a swing for the fences. Freeze’s fate is likely tied to Arnold’s in 2023.  

"The roster is improving, though, as Auburn landed consecutive top-10 recruiting classes and has added key transfers such as quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) and wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech),” Rittenberg continued. “A manageable 2025 schedule could lead to a breakthrough, which Freeze needs despite a contract that runs through the 2028 season.”

Moving on from the distinctly average Payton Thorne might well give Freeze a real bolt of energy, but he will have to show more flexibility and patience toward Arnold than he ever did his former quarterback. 

Therein lies the rub for Freeze - he can’t afford patience in 2025. If he fails to show significant improvement with Arnold, then the path toward quarterback in waiting Deuce Knight will also get more complicated for Freeze.

Repeated slip ups against SEC opponents must also be reversed, the fans are fed up watching Freeze’s Tigers find new and ever-more interesting ways to lose games. 

The 2025 version of the Auburn Tigers are in a significantly better position than when Freeze took the job. This is the season he’ll need to show he’s more than just an excellent salesman.