Analyst: Auburn football HC Hugh Freeze ‘has been drinking from a fire hose’ since taking over

Since taking over Auburn football as head coach, Hugh Freeze has been a highly busy man. The 53-year-old Oxford, Mississippi native has been busy hitting the recruiting trail, meeting local head coaches, and sorting out his players’ issues who are already on scholarship inherited from the last regime.

Oh, and he’s also had to battle the slander from the local media painting him as something he has not been found guilty of. Through it all, though, he has been able to do great work in picking up the slack from the recruiting shortcomings of the last coaching staff.

CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee has noticed all of the challenges Freeze has faced, speaking to it in a piece titled ‘Hugh Freeze navigating challenges both on and off the field as he aims to rebuild Auburn’s football program’:

"“Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has been on the job for just over three months, and he has been drinking from a fire hose ever since. His challenges may be unlike any coach has faced in recent memory due both to a college football landscape that’s greatly evolved since he last coached an SEC program and past transgressions that led to his hiatus from the Power Five level.”"

Hugh Freeze must win with Auburn football to shift focus from past failures

The very first thing Sallee believes Freeze must address is his piece was his past failures. While at Ole Miss, Freeze used a university-issued phone to engage in illegal activity. Everyone in the state of Alabama knows that well at this point, and it was something Freeze addressed during his introductory press conference.

Dabo Swinney has said things many see as zany, but his legacy is that of a winner because of his multiple titles with Clemson. Alabama receiver Jermaine Burton was able to shift the focus away from his post-game behavior against Tennessee with a big finish to his 2022 season.

Should Freeze have AU winning like those two programs, there’s going to be too much material for the media to incessantly rehash his past. Losing regularly would likely bring those mistakes to the forefront, on the other hand.

Some reporters will likely continue to talk about his mistakes no matter what, but if Freeze stays clean and out of trouble, his work should stand on its own separate from skeletons in his closet.