Hugh Freeze believes he could’ve handled the early transfer portal window better. The coach is in his first full offseason at the helm in Auburn after landing the job after the 2022 season.

So far, the Tigers have been quiet in the transfer portal. Several players have left, and the team has been slow to find replacements, although several visits are underway or scheduled. Freeze lamented the way this early window has gone for his team thus far.

“I don’t think I’ve handled it very well, truthfully,” the coach admitted. “We want to build this program through high school for the most part. Having said that, I don’t know if you can ever isolate yourself into saying that’s what is going to happen because you don’t know how many you’re going to lose at this time, if that makes sense.”

Freeze has seen 9 of his players enter the portal and has only added 1 thus far. Robert Lewis, a speedy receiver from Georgia State, was added. However, 4-star receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr. and 4-star tight end Tyler Fromm are just some of the players who are seeking greener pastures.

“You can plan, ‘Hey, we’re going to replace these 20 seniors with 20 high schoolers’, but then all of a sudden you have 30 spots and you haven’t recruited enough high schoolers for those spots and, obviously, you have to go to the portal then,” Freeze explained.  “I think our calendar is extremely messed up. I don’t think it’s good for high school recruiting, portal recruiting, managing your own team, getting ready for bowl prep. I think our calendar needs a serious, serious look at it for what’s best for our game. It’s hard for any of us to truly manage all of it, truthfully.”

The Tigers have done well in recruiting and are currently sporting the No. 11 class for 2024, per 247Sports.