Auburn AD comments on Hugh Freeze’s future after latest loss
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
His name is Hugh Freeze but the head coach’s seat could be getting hotter after Auburn’s third straight loss. Despite taking a lead into halftime, the Tigers fell 20-10 to Georgia for a ninth consecutive defeat in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
After starting out 3-0 in non-conference play, Freeze has yet to guide Auburn to an SEC victory this season. In an interview with AL.com, Auburn athletic director John Cohen shed light on Freeze’s job security with an interesting analogy.
“I don’t know if I’m going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not, I think it is,” Cohen said. “I have an expectation it will. But if my car doesn’t start enough, then I will evaluate that and make decisions about my car. But that’s not my expectation at this point about our football program.”
Cohen added that the collective mentality is taken into account.
“My first thought isn’t about what’s next. My first thought is about, ‘Hey, is our expectation to win?'” Cohen said. “If it is, we keep evaluating and keep moving forward.”
Cohen is evaluating Freeze in a variety of leadership aspects in addition to the results on the field.
“Is the locker room still buying in? Are we still bringing in the right types of student athletes, both out of the portal and from the high school and junior college ranks? And are our kids getting better? And are they giving a great effort?” Cohen said. “That’s the template for me. Those are the questions I have to answer for myself in any program that we have.”
Freeze will have a tough challenge to get into the SEC win column this week. Auburn hosts No. 16 Missouri on Saturday night (7:45 p.m. ET/SEC Network).
