Auburn Tigers HC Hugh Freeze has buyout worth paying after dropping another embarrassing SEC loss to Kentucky Saturday

Hugh Freeze doesn’t have a buyout that should stop Auburn AD John Cohen from firing him

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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The Auburn Tigers fans are likely all out of patience with head coach Hugh Freeze following yet another embarrassing SEC loss on Saturday. It’s one thing for Auburn to lose to four consecutive top 20 teams in the country (Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Missouri). It’s another entirely for Auburn to lose to terrible 2-5 Kentucky team at home.

There has been a lot of talk about the huge buyouts being paid to head coaches to go away. Hugh Freeze doesn’t have a buyout anywhere near as costly compared to James Franklin (Penn State) or Brian Kelly (LSU). It’s extremely likely that Auburn parts ways with Hugh Freeze after this season, and it wouldn’t be too costly just to move on right now.

Hugh Freeze Auburn buyout details

  • Hugh Freeze’s six year contract with Auburn has a buyout that decreases by nearly $5 million (around 4.8 million) every year
  • Hugh Freeze is making just under $7 million this season, and would be owed about $15.4 million in buyout money if fired following the 2025 season
  • Depending on the timing of the firing (perhaps right now), Freeze could be owed more than that $15.4 million, but the structure of his buyout agreement make it feasible considering it’s just split up into monthly payments through January of 2029 instead of a massive lump sum owed immediately

Hugh Freeze has an easier buyout to deal with as Auburn likely moves on soon

The entire Auburn fan base is done with Hugh Freeze and his failures as head coach for the Tigers. Following the loss to Kentucky, Freeze now moves to a 15-19 career win-loss record as head coach of the Auburn Tigers. He’s logged three straight seasons with a 0-4 record to start SEC play. He’s just about locked in Auburn’s third consecutive losing season, which is absolutely unimaginable for the program.

Many Auburn fans stayed late after the loss to Kentucky on Saturday just to chant in unison: “Fire Hugh!”

The pressure is on now. Auburn is extremely likely to move on from Hugh Freeze now very soon. It’s hard to tell – or if it would even be worth it – to part ways right this second, or even prior to the end of the regular season considering there are only three games left. However, it’s clear that the season is effectively over for Auburn, and Hugh Freeze does not have some crazy buyout stopping the program from moving on.

If Auburn waits until the end of the regular season coach Freeze’s buyout drops to a palatable $15.4 million paid out monthly (around $400k per month) through January of 2029. That’s not bad at all considering the $50+ million dollar buyouts and much heavier up-front lump sums involved in some of the other hefty buyouts dealt with across the college football landscape this season.

Hugh Freeze is making just shy of $7 million this year, so if Auburn does decide to get rid of him right now the program would owe him a bit more than that $15.4 million, but the program so obviously needs a hard reset and a chance to save this year’s recruiting cycle.

Not only could parting ways help Auburn get a jump start on their head coaching search, but it could also allow for some restored morale for the remaining players down the stretch if the team can get hot together with the pressure completely off. Retaining key talents like WR Cam Coleman, QB Deuce Knight, and more should be top priority. Hopefully Auburn athletic director John Cohen makes the right decision and moves on quickly.

We’ll be back with more Auburn Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports Auburn Tigers, as Auburn Tigers HC Hugh Freeze has buyout worth paying after dropping another embarrassing SEC loss to Kentucky Saturday.

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