Hugh Freeze confirms firing from Auburn in brief comment to reporter
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Hugh Freeze had to have known that his days at Auburn were numbered after Saturday’s loss to Kentucky.
Freeze’s long-awaited firing reportedly materialized on Sunday, putting an end to a tenure that lasted just under 3 seasons. That’s after the loss to the Wildcats dropped him to 15-19 at the helm of the Tigers.
Though Auburn has yet to officially announce Freeze’s dismissal, Freeze confirmed the news himself to On3’s Justin Hokanson on Sunday afternoon, minutes after initial reports of the university moving in a new direction.
“Tough day. Love this place,” Freeze told Hokanson.
Auburn will now embark on its 3rd head coaching search in 5 years. After Gus Malzahn was fired after the 2020 season, the Tigers turned to Bryan Harsin, who had led Boise State to a 69-19 record in 7 seasons. That success didn’t carry over to Auburn as he went 6-7 in 2021 and 3-5 in 2022 before his firing.
That led to Hugh Freeze making his return to the SEC 6 years after his firing from Ole Miss. After leading the Tigers to a 6-7 record, they dropped to 5-7 a season later.
Freeze then brought in Jackson Arnold from the transfer portal to help resurrect the Auburn offense. But that hasn’t helped. The Tigers fell to 4-5 on the season after Saturday’s loss, Freeze’s final game as Auburn’s head coach.
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.
