Charles Barkley Didn’t Hesitate to Speak Out About How Desperately Auburn Needs a Strong College Football Season in 2025

Charles Barkley has never been shy with his opinions, and when it comes to his alma mater, Auburn University, the Hall of Fame basketball player is as passionate and candid as they come. So it was no surprise when, during a recent television appearance, Barkley didn’t mince words in expressing his belief that Auburn’s football program is in dire need of a turnaround. According to the legendary forward, nothing short of a strong 2025 college football season will suffice—not just to satisfy fans, but to restore pride, relevance, and momentum to a program that has struggled to find its footing in recent years.

“You look around the SEC and you see programs on the rise,” Barkley said. “Auburn has just been stuck. We can’t keep waiting. It’s time.”

It wasn’t just a throwaway comment. Barkley’s tone carried urgency and frustration, the same tone Auburn fans have become familiar with over the last several seasons. Despite the university’s rich football tradition, which includes national championships, Heisman winners, and unforgettable Iron Bowl moments, recent years have been defined more by coaching turnover, inconsistent play, and a widening gap between the Tigers and their fiercest rivals—most notably Alabama and Georgia.

To Barkley, a man who thrives on competition and takes pride in seeing Auburn succeed across all sports, the football team’s stagnation has become a glaring blemish. “It hurts, man,” he continued. “Everywhere I go, people bring up Auburn football, and I have to just shake my head. I don’t have anything to say back.”

Barkley’s comments come at a critical juncture for the program. Head coach Hugh Freeze is entering his second full season at the helm, having spent his first year attempting to right the ship and install a new culture of accountability, physicality, and offensive creativity. While there were flashes of promise in 2024, including a competitive showing against Georgia and a gritty win over Mississippi State, the team ultimately finished with a losing record, and frustration mounted after a heartbreaking collapse in the Iron Bowl.

The pressure in 2025 is undeniably higher. Freeze has had time to build his roster through recruiting and the transfer portal. He’s made staff changes where necessary, including bringing in a new offensive coordinator to inject life into a sluggish passing game. And most importantly, the fan base is hungry—no, starving—for meaningful wins.

“We need to compete,” Barkley said. “Not just show up and go through the motions. Beat somebody. Make it hard on Alabama. Make it hard on Georgia. That’s what we used to do.”

Auburn’s struggles have been magnified by the dominance of their two biggest rivals. Alabama continues to reload with talent year after year, even in the post-Saban era, and Georgia has become a juggernaut under Kirby Smart, winning multiple national championships and establishing itself as the class of the SEC East. Meanwhile, Auburn has cycled through head coaches, seen recruiting rankings dip, and failed to produce a single 10-win season since 2017.

For Barkley, Auburn’s inability to maintain consistency in its football leadership has been part of the problem. “We’ve changed coaches too many times,” he noted. “You can’t build anything that way. Every time we start over, it’s another three years of waiting. That’s not how you win in the SEC.”

He’s not wrong. The revolving door at the head coaching position—from Gus Malzahn to Bryan Harsin and now Hugh Freeze—has prevented Auburn from establishing a clear identity on the field. That’s a stark contrast from the early 2000s and even the 2010 national championship era under Gene Chizik, when Auburn’s blend of speed, toughness, and creativity made it one of the most dangerous programs in the country.

But Barkley insists that hope is not lost. He praised Freeze’s recruiting efforts and his willingness to embrace the realities of modern college football, including the transfer portal and NIL landscape. “Coach Freeze gets it,” Barkley said. “He knows you’ve got to get players, and you’ve got to give them a reason to come to Auburn. I like what he’s doing, but it has to start showing up on Saturdays.”

Indeed, talent acquisition has picked up slightly under Freeze, especially with high-profile commitments from in-state prospects and several additions from other Power Five programs. The 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked in the top 15 nationally, and Auburn is believed to be in the mix for several more blue-chip recruits. Still, as Barkley emphasized, recruiting is only part of the battle. Execution, development, and culture matter just as much—if not more.

“The fans are loyal. They show up. They yell. They scream. They live and die with this team,” Barkley said. “They deserve a product that competes, that fights, and that believes it can win any game.”

As fall camp approaches, questions still loom about Auburn’s quarterback situation, offensive line cohesion, and ability to stop the run. Those are not minor concerns in a conference where elite play in the trenches often determines who wins and who merely survives. But there’s also a sense of quiet optimism among some close to the program, particularly due to the emergence of younger players who could form the core of a new, hungrier Auburn squad.

The 2025 schedule doesn’t offer much breathing room. Auburn opens SEC play early and faces a brutal midseason stretch that includes trips to LSU and Alabama, as well as a home game against Texas. Every one of those matchups will be used as a barometer for progress—or the lack thereof.

Barkley, ever the competitor, wouldn’t have it any other way. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to play the best and beat the best. We used to embrace that challenge. Now it feels like we’re hoping to survive it.”

He recalled the iconic 2013 season under Malzahn, when Auburn came from nowhere to win the SEC and nearly claim another national title behind the Miracle at Jordan-Hare and the Kick Six. “That’s what Auburn football can be. That’s what it should be. But we can’t keep living off that one year. That was over a decade ago. What have we done since?”

His rhetorical question hit hard—and it should. Auburn’s brand has taken a hit nationally. It’s still a top-tier job in terms of tradition, facilities, and fan support, but it’s no longer viewed as a consistent force in the SEC. That’s something Barkley believes can be changed—if the university and coaching staff truly commit to building something sustainable.

“We’ve got to stop talking about potential and start showing results. This isn’t a rebuild anymore. It’s go time.”

Those words carry weight coming from someone who has proudly represented Auburn for over four decades. Barkley’s loyalty has never been in question. From donating to university causes to appearing on campus and publicly defending the program in times of controversy, he’s been a tireless ambassador. But like many Auburn faithful, his patience is wearing thin.

And perhaps that’s why his recent remarks resonated so strongly with the fan base. They weren’t just about wins and losses. They were about pride, legacy, and the belief that Auburn deserves better—not in theory, but in practice.

With the 2025 season on the horizon, the message from one of Auburn’s most iconic voices is loud and clear: Stop making excuses. Start winning. It’s time to remind everyone what Auburn football can be.

Whether that message is received and acted upon remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Charles Barkley won’t be holding his tongue any time soon—and neither will the Auburn fan base.