Auburn's AD says 'not my expectation' to fire Hugh Freeze; compares coach to a car that doesn't always start
Auburn isn't planning on firing Freeze, but a few more failures to start could change their minds
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1 min read
The college football coaching carousel has already added some big names and big programs, with James Franklin's firing by Penn State this week being the biggest split thus far.
They joined UCLA as Big Ten programs to already fire their coach, while Arkansas has done the same in the SEC and might have more company soon. Auburn's Hugh Freeze and Florida's Billy Napier are both firmly on the hot seat after slow starts, and after the Tigers lost in gutting fashion on Saturday night to Georgia with another woeful offensive showing in a game Freeze desperately needed to win, his seat got even hotter.
With plenty of other power conference programs making midseason changes, the natural question for Auburn was whether they'd follow suit. Auburn athletic director John Cohen was asked exactly that by AL.com's Peter Rauterkaus on Monday and offered a lukewarm vote of confidence in return.
Cohen said it's "not my expectation at this point" to make a coaching change, but added that he'll "never say never" and offered this gem of a quote comparing Freeze to a car that sometimes doesn't start.
"I don't know if I'm going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not, I think it is," Cohen said. "I have an expectation it will. But if my car doesn't start enough, then I will evaluate that and make decisions about my car. But that's not my expectation at this point about our football program."
That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of Freeze, and Cohen leaves the door open for Auburn to make a change if the Tigers don't come to life in the second half of the season. While Freeze's $15.4 million buyout pales in comparison to the $50+ million Penn State shelled out to get rid of Franklin, it's still a sizable figure that makes it a tough decision, especially with Bryan Harsin's buyout still on the books.
That said, if the program doesn't show signs of progress and the offense -- which is supposed to be Freeze's strength -- looks as toothless as it has been to start this season, it's hard to envision him being back in 2026.
So, for any Auburn fans hoping for a coaching change, they might just need a few more failures to start for Cohen and the Tigers to make that re-evaluation.
