Greg McElroy Boldly Predicts Auburn Tigers Will Defy Odds and Secure a Winning Season in Pivotal 2025 SEC Football Campaign

Greg McElroy Boldly Predicts Auburn Tigers Will Defy Odds and Secure a Winning Season in Pivotal 2025 SEC Football Campaign

Greg McElroy has never been one to shy away from delivering a strong take on college football, and when it comes to the Auburn Tigers’ chances in 2025, the former Alabama quarterback and current ESPN analyst is as candid as ever. Known for his deep SEC roots and analytical insight, McElroy recently offered a surprisingly optimistic outlook on Auburn’s trajectory heading into the 2025 season, a stance that has generated significant buzz across the college football landscape. Despite the Tigers enduring recent struggles and the SEC only becoming more competitive with the addition of powerhouses like Texas and Oklahoma, McElroy firmly believes Auburn is primed for a resurgence. According to him, the Tigers have what it takes not just to survive the gauntlet of the Southeastern Conference—but to come out of it with a winning record.

For many fans and analysts, the idea of Auburn posting a winning season in 2025 feels like a long shot. Last season was another chapter in the Tigers’ recent era of inconsistency, as coaching changes, offensive inefficiencies, and recruiting woes have held the program back from returning to its former glory. But McElroy’s take is rooted in more than just SEC nostalgia. He points to several factors that, in his mind, signal Auburn is due for a legitimate turnaround, starting with head coach Hugh Freeze entering his second full season at the helm.

McElroy highlighted that the second year under a new coaching staff often brings tangible improvements, especially in terms of player development, familiarity with the system, and culture building. Freeze, who took over a floundering program and tried to piece together a competent team in short order, now has a full year of experience with his roster and staff. According to McElroy, this stability is crucial. “You look at what Freeze has done in his second year at past programs, and there’s always a big leap,” McElroy noted during a recent segment on SEC Network. “That’s when his quarterbacks get comfortable, the offensive line gels, and you start seeing real growth in the defensive unit.”

Auburn’s quarterback situation was murky at best last season, but McElroy sees signs of promise there too. With incoming transfers and a more defined pecking order in the quarterback room, he expects improvement at the most critical position on the field. While the Tigers may not have a Heisman contender under center just yet, they finally appear to have depth and competition, which could help spark more consistent play. McElroy has emphasized that Auburn’s success will hinge heavily on the development of the quarterback, whoever ends up taking the majority of snaps.

Another major factor McElroy pointed to is the talent Auburn has accumulated through recent recruiting classes and the transfer portal. While the Tigers haven’t reached Alabama or Georgia-level dominance on the recruiting trail, Freeze has made notable strides in attracting blue-chip talent and immediate-impact players. McElroy believes the blend of young, high-upside freshmen and seasoned transfers could be the formula that vaults the Tigers to a winning season. “They’re not quite ready to win the West or contend for a national title, but the foundation is starting to look solid,” he said. “You can’t underestimate what that kind of roster balance does for a team trying to claw its way back into contention.”

The 2025 schedule is another talking point that McElroy dissected carefully. Auburn faces a difficult slate, as is standard in the SEC, but McElroy argued that it’s not as daunting as some years past. Crucial home games against middle-tier conference opponents offer opportunities for key wins, and he noted that if Auburn can take care of business in those matchups and steal one or two on the road, they could be looking at seven or eight victories by season’s end. That might not sound like a monumental achievement, but in the context of Auburn’s recent history and the gauntlet that is the SEC, such a season would be seen as a major step in the right direction.

McElroy also gave a nod to the team’s improved depth on both sides of the ball, something that plagued Auburn significantly over the past two seasons. Injuries and fatigue often forced inexperienced players into action, with mixed results. This year, Freeze has a more fortified rotation, especially on the defensive line and in the secondary. The defense, which showed flashes of competence in 2024, could become a strength in 2025 with better depth and more experience. McElroy emphasized the importance of defensive stability in a conference loaded with explosive offenses and seasoned quarterbacks. “If you can keep people under 30 points in this league, you’re giving yourself a shot to win every Saturday,” he said.

Despite the encouraging signs, McElroy also cautioned that a winning season is far from guaranteed. The margin for error in the SEC is razor-thin, and even one or two close losses can derail momentum. But he reiterated that Auburn appears to be trending upward at a time when many had written them off as non-factors. The cultural overhaul Freeze has tried to implement is starting to take root, according to McElroy, and that may be just as important as on-field execution. “You don’t just flip a switch and become a contender in this league. It takes grit, belief, and an identity. I think Auburn is finally starting to find that again.”

The reaction to McElroy’s stance has been mixed, as one might expect. Auburn fans are cautiously optimistic, hopeful that a respected SEC voice sees something in their team that the national media has mostly overlooked. Others, particularly rival fan bases, have scoffed at the idea, pointing to the Tigers’ recent struggles and the brutal nature of the conference. But McElroy stands by his view, insisting that programs like Auburn, with their rich history and passionate fanbase, are never more than a few strong decisions away from relevance. He sees 2025 as the year those decisions begin to bear fruit.

It’s also worth noting that McElroy’s analysis isn’t rooted in bias. As a former Alabama quarterback, he has every reason to be skeptical of Auburn. But his job as an analyst requires him to be objective, and in this case, he believes the evidence suggests a rebound is imminent. “I’m not saying they’re going to Atlanta,” he said, referencing the SEC Championship Game. “But if you don’t think Auburn can win seven or eight games this year, you’re not paying attention to the improvements they’ve made.”

For Auburn, McElroy’s endorsement could be both a source of validation and motivation. The Tigers have spent the last few seasons watching from the sidelines as rivals climbed national rankings and earned playoff berths. Reclaiming even a modest level of success would be a critical step toward reestablishing themselves as serious contenders in college football’s most unforgiving conference. Whether McElroy’s prediction proves true will depend on countless variables—health, execution, leadership, and a little bit of luck—but it’s clear that someone with deep SEC knowledge sees the potential.

In the weeks leading up to the season, attention will turn toward Auburn’s fall camp and how Freeze plans to fine-tune his roster. If the quarterback situation stabilizes and the defense lives up to its promise, the Tigers might just surprise some people. And if they do, Greg McElroy will be among the first to say “I told you so.” His prediction may not be the consensus, but it’s grounded in logic, observation, and a belief that in college football, no program stays down forever—especially not one like Auburn.

In a sport defined by cycles, Auburn may be entering an upswing. And if Greg McElroy is right, 2025 won’t just be another rebuilding year—it’ll be the year Auburn roars back to relevance.