Hugh Freeze’s situation at Auburn football is compared by Paul Finebaum to Billy Napier’s at Florida
Paul Finebaum doesn’t believe Hugh Freeze’s seat as head coach of the Auburn football program is nearly as hot as Billy Napier’s at Florida — claiming that nobody’s firing him “just yet” after a shocking 21-14 Week 2 loss to Cal.
“You know, since then, Hugh Freeze, really, everything he’s saying is being interpreted,” Finebaum said to Greg McElroy on the September 11 edition of “Always College Football.” “Is he blaming his players? Because he doesn’t seem to be taking too much blame. I realize every coach mouths the words, but sometimes you know when they really mean it or not. So, he gambled on Payton Thorne. That’s his decision. That’s his guy. He’s going to ride with him. This is not the same situation as [Billy] Napier. Nobody’s firing Hugh Freeze, at least yet. So where this season goes will determine what the off-season looks like.”
Napier may not survive the season with a difficult schedule and a 12-15 record in Gainesville; 6-10 in conference play. Freeze has suffered a similarly losing fate on the Plains at 7-8 through Week 2 of the 2024 season but he’s saving his job with what he’s done on the recruiting trail.
Hugh Freeze hoping to stack top recruiting classes for Auburn football before turning Tigers around
Freeze’s plan is to stack top-ranked recruiting classes during the 2025 and 2026 cycles — after raising the Tigers into the top 10 in 2024 — to have Auburn competing with Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and the like.
Of course, this strategy works if the Tigers win enough to satisfy the fanbase and boosters in the interim. Getting blown out by New Mexico State and Maryland and losing to Cal, as a favorite each time, no less, isn’t satisfying to many; especially when it’s Freeze’s insistence to stick with Payton Thorne as QB1 costing him these games.
Freeze is safe for now. But the optimism from the team’s recruiting is fading as the results on the field aren’t matching those efforts.
