Nick Saban took the stage at SEC Media Days on Wednesday and was asked about the arrival of new Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze.
Saban and Freeze have a history that dates back more than a decade to when Freeze became the head coach at Ole Miss. Saban was complimentary of the new Auburn coach when asked on Wednesday.
“I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for Hugh Freeze,” Saban said. “I’m sure he’ll do a very good job at Auburn.
“His history as a coach sorta speaks for itself. He’s a good recruiter, they had really good players at Ole Miss. I’m sure he’ll do the same things [at Auburn].
Saban: "I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for Hugh Freeze. … I'm sure he'll do a very good job at Auburn. … His history as a coach sorta speaks for itself. He's a good recruiter, they had really good players at Ole Miss. I'm sure he'll do the same things (at AU)"
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) July 19, 2023
Freeze is one of a few coaches that has had repeatable success against Saban. His Ole Miss team defeated Alabama in 2014 and 2015. He’s the only active SEC head coach who owns multiple wins over Saban since he took over in Tuscaloosa in 2007.
Another former Auburn coach, Gus Malzahn, earned 3 victories over Saban’s Alabama program before departing the program.
Alabama has won 3 straight Iron Bowls entering the 2023 season. The Crimson Tide haven’t won 4 in a row vs. their in-state rivals since 1973-81 when they won 9 straight.
Auburn will host Alabama this season on Nov. 25 to close out the regular season.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
