Hugh Freeze and Auburn Tigers Ready ‘to Compete’ with SEC Elites

Hugh Freeze is the first Auburn Tigers coach in half a century to get a third year on the job after two losing seasons. One of the reasons Freeze has been given more leeway is the sorry state of the program when he took over prior to the 2023 season.

The Tigers’ talent level, not to mention play on the field, had reached historic lows. Freeze and the administration knew it would take some time to upgrade the roster to the point where Auburn would compete for SEC championships again.

“It’s quite different in a good way,” Freeze said on the state of his roster compared to when he started. “Obviously, anytime you take over a program of this magnitude that has the expectations Auburn does, there’s a reason you got it,” Freeze said referring to the struggles the Tigers had under former coach Bryan Harsin.

Freeze understands there are dozens of factors that can play into a team failing to live up to expectations, so he was careful after A-Day on Saturday to not throw any stones in glass houses.

“That’s not casting a judgement on anyone else, because you never really know what happens until you walk in someone else’s shoes,” said Freeze. “You have to have top-10 recruiting classes in this league to form an elite roster.”

Freeze has two-full recruiting cycles under his belt while in charge on the Plains. 247Sports ranked the Tigers’ haul 8th in 2025 and 10th in 2024.

“I felt like we could do that at Auburn, and we have in the two recruiting classes we’ve had,” said Freeze. “And the roster therefor looks different. I thought it would take three to really have the roster to where it rivals those of the elite in this conference, and that’s probably still accurate.”

Technically, Freeze was in charge for the 2023 class, but coaches get a pass on the incomplete class they are able to sign in an abbreviated recruiting period. Relationships take time to build.