The expectation for Auburn football has generally been to contend for SEC championships and the College Football Playoff.
Entering Year 3 under Hugh Freeze, the Tigers are resetting expectations following back-to-back losing seasons and no bowl game in 2023. Speaking on the “Next Round Live” podcast on Friday, Freeze opened up about expectations for Auburn following an 11-13 record over the last two seasons.
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“I’m not a fool. I think we have to go to a bowl game,” Freeze said about the expectations for the Tigers in 2025 when asked by host Landrum Roberts about if “Auburn had to win X games in 2024.’
The Tigers’ last winning season came in 2020, when they went 6-5 in the final season under Gus Malzahn. Auburn has gone 22-28 over the last four seasons under Brian Harsin and Freeze.
The third-year coach pinned some of the blame on Harsin and recruiting prior to his arrival.
“I think our administration understands,” Freeze said. “Look, I inherited a program that didn’t have a Top 25 recruiting class for four years. … We’ve had now two full recruiting classes, both of them ranked in the Top 10. I think one more, then your roster looks complete.
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“But I’m not naïve. … We could have won more games last year. And we’ve got to make sure we’re excellent in those areas that cost us, that put us in a position to be at least bowl-eligible if not more. I see no reason that we shouldn’t do that. Those are expectations that our fans should expect.”
To Freeze’s credit, he has turned around the recruiting for the Tigers with a recruiting class that ranked No. 10 overall per 247Sports Composite Rankings in 2024 and followed it up with the No. 8 class in 2025. The 2025 class trailed only Texas (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3) and Florida (No. 7) in the SEC.
Freeze sent a message to fans that the last two years have not been good enough for Auburn’s standards, nor his.
“Obviously, I’m a competitor and I want to deliver to the Auburn people,” Freeze said. “It’s time for us to start doing that.”
Hugh Freeze record at Auburn
Here’s a look at Freeze’s record through his first two years with Auburn:
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2023: 6-7, 3-5 SEC (Lost in Music City Bowl)
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Hugh Freeze resets expectations for Auburn football entering Year 3
