Auburn AD John Cohen releases statement on firing of Hugh Freeze
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Auburn officially announced the firing of Hugh Freeze on Sunday. The decision came after the Tigers fell to 4-5 — and 15-19 in the Freeze era — after a 10-3 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.
Auburn athletics director John Cohen released a statement through the university.
“I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn Football program,” Cohen wrote. “Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster. Our expectations for Auburn Football are to annually compete for championships and the search for the next leader of Auburn Football begins immediately.”
Cohen hired Freeze in 2023 after a 34-15 record at Liberty, marking Freeze’s return to the SEC since serving as the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016.
But the Tigers failed to gather positive momentum. They went 6-7 in 2023, losing their Music City Bowl appearance against Maryland. In 2024, they went 5-7.
Auburn then opened the 2025 season at 3-0 behind Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold. But it dropped 5 of its next 6, averaging 13.5 points in that stretch.
Freeze’s record in SEC play was 6-16. He lost 6 of his last 7 conference games dating back to 2024.
DJ Durkin will serve as interim head coach, confirming initial reports.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
