Hugh Freeze Opens Up About Mounting Pressure Before Crucial Season

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Hugh Freeze Opens Up About Mounting Pressure Before Crucial Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The 2025 college football season could be crucial for many prominent coaches at major universities.
If these coaches are unable to secure wins this season, they may find themselves looking for new jobs after the season ends. This is the situation for Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze. The Tigers are on a four-season losing streak, with two of those seasons occurring under Freeze's leadership. This type of losing streak hasn't happened at Auburn in over 70 years. The Tigers also haven't won more than six games since the 2019 season.
Freeze appeared on the podcast "See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack," where he discussed the pressure he faces heading into the upcoming season.
"I don't even have a seat at the table to write the story," Freeze said. "I don't even have a pen to write the story. It's not mine to write. I approach it like that. I don't have the pressure or any of that. At the same time, I'm a realist, and Auburn's a place that has to win. I believe we're going to. I think we finally have enough depth and talent."
Freeze has a record of 11-14 in his two seasons at Auburn. However, he has a proven ability to win, particularly in the SEC. During his five seasons as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, he achieved a record of 39-25.
Freeze understands that this is a crucial year for him to demonstrate that he deserves to remain as coach. If he is dismissed after the season, he will be entitled to 75 percent of the remaining value of his contract, with no offsets. He signed a six-year deal before the 2023 season, which began at $6.5 million and increases by $250,000 each year. This season, he is slated to earn $7 million, which would total almost $17 million by the end of the 2025 season.
247Sports reports that there is reason for optimism regarding the Tigers, who have secured the No. 8 recruiting class as well as the No. 8 transfer portal class. Among their notable additions from the transfer portal are quarterback Jackson Arnold and wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr.
In his first season as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma, Arnold passed for 1,421 yards, throwing 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions across 10 games. It is important to note that he was benched midseason after a performance that included turnovers.
Singleton Jr. had an impressive season at Georgia Tech, accumulating 754 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He was also ranked among the top five players in the transfer portal.
Another positive aspect for Freeze is that, despite his seasons not going as well as hoped, ESPN's Paul Finebaum does not see any increasing pressure from Auburn's athletic department. He recently stated that he does not believe Freeze is in a critical situation. Finebaum noted that Freeze is well-liked by the Auburn community and has support where it really matters. However, he described Freeze's first two seasons as quite underwhelming.
Auburn opens the season on Aug. 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET, facing the Baylor Bears on the road.This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.