Auburn’s 2025 offensive play‑calling evolves into collaborative braintrust with Hugh Freeze leading while empowering Derrick Nix and staff effectively
Auburn football in 2025 is entering a new era of offensive orchestration, one in which play‑calling responsibilities have become a truly collaborative enterprise. Head coach Hugh Freeze remains firmly at the center—his vision, his approval, his signature style—but the actual execution is increasingly distributed across a tight-knit offensive staff, especially with offensive coordinator Derrick Nix and quarterback coach Kent Austin playing prominent and complementary roles.
Freeze’s shift this offseason to build a more integrated and aligned offensive structure reflects lessons learned from prior seasons, where inconsistencies and shared responsibilities created friction. His first year at Auburn in 2023 saw Philip Montgomery as the play‑caller while Freeze focused on recruiting and setting up NIL and booster alignment. That worked for one season, but in 2024 Freeze decided he needed to retake play‑calling duties to regain control and accountability, signaling a transition to the familiar terrain where he feels most effective. In essence, Freeze moved from a CEO-like role—delegating play design—to being back in the trenches, calling plays himself and trusting his own instincts.
Yet, that doesn’t mean he’s doing it all alone. The 2025 season has ushered in a deliberately rebalanced approach. Now, offensive coordinator Derrick Nix—who Freeze brought from Ole Miss, and with whom he already shares strong terminology and philosophy—is a key collaborator in scripting the offense, drawing up game plans, and aligning with Freeze’s strategic template.
Beyond Nix, quarterback coach Kent Austin adds another dimension to the braintrust, working closely with both Freeze and Nix to ensure clarity and responsiveness. This layered approach seeks to avert past confusion—where multiple voices calling plays during a single drive led to miscommunication, contradictory directives, and indecision at the line of scrimmage.
Freeze himself has acknowledged how tricky it can be to navigate multiple coaching terminologies. He’s admitted that integrating jargon unfamiliar to him led to hesitation and inefficiency. That realization is one of the drivers behind the new streamlined offensive dialect he and his staff have cultivated—one familiar, unified, and capable of accelerating on-field adjustments.
So in 2025, Freeze is not simply the solo authority; he is the orchestrator. He approves, he guides, he confirms. But he now clearly delegates the execution to Nix and Austin, blending his situational experience with their preparation and technical clarity. This is not abdication—it is synthesis.
This collaborative model is rooted in the recognition that multiple play‑callers in 2024—sometimes Freeze, sometimes Nix, sometimes the QB coach—produced inconsistencies and fractured offensive identity. Critics pointed to drives where three different people seemed to be calling plays at different times, demanding clarity as a remedy.Fans on forums described how the offense appeared disjointed, with players seemingly confused by competing directions—leading many to call for one unified voice in play calling.
This year’s new structure appears to be their answer.
Additionally, the offensive philosophy finally aligns with the revamped talent base. Auburn has revamped its quarterback situation with the addition of Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold—a proven winner with dual-threat ability and deep-ball accuracy. Freeze praised Arnold’s fit with their RPO-heavy system and credited him as a catalyst to raise offensive expectation and swagger. Freshman Deuce Knight also adds competitive energy and future promise at QB.
On the play-caller front, having consistent terminology and planning mechanisms means Arnold, Thorne, or Knight won’t face confusion at the line. It creates a clearer offensive identity—something Freeze values deeply as he seeks to eliminate hesitation in critical moments.
Improved talent isn’t limited to quarterback. Auburn’s recruiting surge includes offensive line upgrades via the portal—standouts like Xavier Chaplin and Mason Murphy—to fortify Pass protection and rushing lanes. That depth allows the offensive staff to script confidently, knowing their line can execute their plans.
Moreover, Freeze wants a simplified yet potent playbook that emphasizes execution over complexity. After a game versus Cal where too many plays led to three‑and‑outs, he noted, “We probably carried a bit too much… instead of us saying ‘this is who we are… with a clear mind.’” A simpler, more reliable package, aligned with the strengths of his QB and line, allows Nix and the staff to call plays they know work consistently.
Still, old patterns die hard. In 2024, Freeze confessed that pressure to not screw up sometimes led to conservative play‑calling—“playing not to lose instead of playing to win”—especially in close situations. The 2025 structure aims to remedy that by giving him offensive confidence born of alignment, preparation, and execution crew.
Even supporters on the Auburn boards, while skeptical, noted that recently Freeze has progressively reduced the complexity of the playbook and handed streamlined game plans to his offensive coordinators—seeking to stabilize execution while addressing recruiting demands.
The result? A 2025 offense that’s hopefully more reliable, aggressive, and true to a unified schematic vision—not a collection of ideas from competing minds, but the product of a coordinated staff where the head coach sets tone, and nearly equals execute and deliver.
In practical terms, this means that while Freeze provides the overarching strategy and situational command—especially in the red zone or late in games—Nix handles the bulk of scripting, personnel packages, and tempo management. Austin ensures the QBs have clarity in terminology, helping translate on-field calls into action. Freeze remains involved—approving plans, designing specific plays (he still publicly takes credit for big calls like a critical fade versus Cal—but he’s also freed up to refocus attention on recruitment, NIL strategy, and broader program culture, areas where his impact has proven substantial.
This model has added importance given the heightened expectations surrounding Auburn in 2025. Coming off consecutive recruiting classes ranked in the Top–10 nationally, with a strong core of new and existing talent, the program—and fans—are expecting tangible progress on Saturdays. Freeze himself emphasized that it’s “time… to start climbing that mountain and winning some of those games,” a charge that demands offensive clarity and cohesion.
In summary, Auburn’s offensive play‐calling in 2025 is best described as a refined mesh between leadership and execution. Hugh Freeze remains the authoritative figure—strategizing, approving, coaching the big calls, and shaping culture—while entrusting execution and game rhythm to offensive coordinator Derrick Nix and QB coach Kent Austin. It’s not abdication, but collaboration; not confusion, but coherence. It reflects a matured program, one ready to leverage both talent and scheme while addressing prior missteps. That blended approach is the key to unlocking Auburn’s potential this season—blending Freeze’s offensive instincts with a cohesive staff, razor‑sharp play style, and renewed confidence in every call.
