‘Are you really all in?’ – Hugh Freeze drops the hammer as he details the challenges faced entering 2025
The road to getting the Auburn Tigers back to the elite team that they once were, winning National Championships or SEC Championships, had been a long, treacherous one.But, the Tigers felt like, at the time of the hire, if there is anyone who can get them back there, or at least back on the path […]
The road to getting the Auburn Tigers back to the elite team that they once were, winning National Championships or SEC Championships, had been a long, treacherous one.
But, the Tigers felt like, at the time of the hire, if there is anyone who can get them back there, or at least back on the path to getting there, it’s Hugh Freeze. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have pressure on him. The pressure is definitely there, and I’m sure he feels it. His first year, the Tigers went 6-7, and last year they went 5-7.
To be honest, if the Tigers have another season last year, we could see Freeze out of town. It does feel like he has had his fair share of adjusting to this new era of college football.
Hugh Freeze opens up about challenges
“I think that’s every coach’s challenge right now. Once you get a depth chart that is close to equal to those that you’re playing, I do think culture and chemistry will make a difference. That’s something we work hard at and are very transparent with,” Freeze said just before Auburn’s fall camp.
“For a given year, like I told them (the team), why not go all in? For this given time, we have committed to be a family. We’ve committed to being a team. Regardless of whatever the outside noise is for you and when things start and you’re not getting your time, are you really all in?”
And, to be fair to him, this new era of college football can be a difficult one to navigate. The transfer portal, and not ever really having the same team from year to year can make things very hard on a coach and a program.
And, Freeze is real with himself about it all. But, this new era makes it extremely hard when not every program and coach has the same resources that others do.
Auburn is one of those schools that doesn’t when it comes to NIL for football. Back before NIL and the transfer portal, it was actually about recruiting, and who was better at it, and what each team had to offer. And, most important it was about real relationships.
It was about what it meant to go to a certain school, and represent that school on the front of your uniform.
“Being at Auburn University is a pretty dang good situation for a young man to have and blessed to be at,” Freeze told reporters. “To get an education and to be blessed by whatever it is that is agreed upon by other sources, revenue sharing, NIL, whatever that is. Man, do not waste this moment and these moments that we have to stack these days to be prepared for these opportunities.”
Freeze and the Auburn Tigers have a huge season upon them. If they can make some noise, and get back to the top of the SEC, or near it, it would be huge for the future of the program.
