Looking at the Positives of a Disappointing Auburn Tigers Season

Despite an unsatifying season for the Auburn Tigers, there are still some positives to take away from it

There are some positives to look back on despite the lackluster season for Auburn / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With its 28-14 loss to Alabama in the Iron Bowl, the Auburn Tigers’ 2024 season has come to an end.

The Tigers finished with a 5-7 record. The potential for a stronger finish was there. They drop three games by a single score and two more games where they lost by 10 points. 

Head coach Hugh Freeze used one word to summarize his second season at the helm of the program.

“Obviously, disappointing tonight. Disappointing season,” Freeze said. “The ones who've played their last game of eligibility in college football, we had some special, special young men in that group. I hate to see them hurt and not go out on a higher note.”

While things certainly could have gone better on the field for the Tigers in 2024, there are positives to take away from year two of the Freeze era on the Plains.

“The relationships, first, that grew throughout the season,” Freeze said on his favorite thing from this season. “The favorite is obviously the senior's last game in Jordan-Hare. Seeing the joy that they had from that experience was pretty special.”

Despite the results not showing up on the field much for the Tigers this season, Freeze reminded his team that life is about more than football and results do not define them as individuals.

“Ultimately, I hope they become true Auburn men in life, first and foremost,” Freeze said. “And I know that lessons like we learned this year can help with that because life's not fair sometimes and it hits you hard, and we've had some experiences with that. You can say it's humbling, frustrating.”

With the season in the books, Freeze and company’s attention completely turns to national signing day on Wednesday, Dec. 4, aiming to finish their recruiting efforts for the 2025 class on a high note.

“It's hard to say. You feel optimistic about everything we've done, but how in the heck do you really know in today's times?” Freeze said. “We've just got to work to the end. The good thing is - as he mentioned earlier - there's a portal that opens, too, if you don't get all the ones that you wanted.”

Freeze is confident in the effort put in by him and his staff on the recruiting trail and believes it will help the program get back on track in 2025.

“Well, that's the goal and we feel better,” Freeze said. “We think we're improving with a lot of young kids that are very talented. Again, you've got to go recruit. I've said it before, some of the teams we're playing, and in this particular game, they've had top-5 recruiting classes a lot of straight years. We've had one top-10 class and hopefully, we're getting ready to have a second.”