Fans will not want to hear this but Auburn has indeed become a struggling team. True, they had their moments of glory with 44 postseason bowl appearances, 16 conference wins, and 800+ wins. Sadly, it’s a different story under Hugh Freeze who took the reins in 2023. 11-14 in two seasons is an unflattering record but he’s been holding on to his job because of what he had been bringing into the Tigers’ roster. But can it really save him? 

Josh Pate feels that Hugh Freeze’s days in Auburn are numbered. In a new YouTube episode on Josh Pate’s College Football Show on December 2, the CFB analyst gave his reason why the 55-year-old HC is under pressure. He said, “Hugh Freeze has to get it done in 2025. He’s finishing year two 5-7. This team has no business being 5-7 this year. They didn’t have to be a playoff team but the fact that this team’s not going bowling is unacceptable.” 

Auburn rounded up their regular season in a heartbreaking 28-14 loss to rival Alabama in the Iron Bowl. A devastated HC told ESPN after the game, “I think the difference in the game was their ability to stay in the field in third down and us not being able to score touchdowns in the red zone.” With just five wins, they’ve fallen out of the bowl race. 

Despite an unpromising season, Hugh Freeze managed to pull together a top 5 recruiting class for 2025 consisting of 26 total commits. As Josh Pate mentioned, “The last three recruiting classes 18th, 10th, and this current one is ranked top five… so they are on pace to sign yet another highly ranked class, solid foundation built… But they’ve got to make major strides in 2025. If they don’t, he doesn’t deserve to have any more length of rope.” It may be an expensive call for Auburn but if Freeze messes up the 2025 season, his future doesn’t look bright. 

Can Hugh Freeze’s $20.3M buyout save his job?

Even if Auburn wants to part ways with Hugh Freeze, their HC is an expensive guy to fire. His seven-year contract with the Tigers runs through January 2029, which pays him $6.5 million annually. So if he’s fired, his buyout would be $20.3 million. But for the Tigers, this really shouldn’t be a problem if they really want to fire Freeze. 

As per USA Today, Auburn made a good decision while hiring Hugh Freeze in November 2022. It reported that “if Auburn fires Freeze, it could spread out its financial obligations to him in monthly payments throughout the remainder of his contract, which runs through the 2028 season.” In simpler terms, the Tigers can pay Freeze around $4.9 million annually for the next four years to handle that multi-million dollar buyout. 2025 will be his third and final test which can make or break his career in Auburn.