There’s not a lot on the line for Auburn football this season. Of course, everyone wants to win, everyone wants to beat Alabama, and everyone wants the Tigers to have a winning record again, but in the first year with a new head coach, expectations must be kept to a minimum.
Since his arrival on the Plains at the end of the 2022 season, head coach Hugh Freeze has preached patience to the Auburn faithful, spoken about talent gaps and the recruiting work that must be done, and told fans that the Tigers will end up on top—just not this year.
But there’s no doubt that Auburn football is on an upward trajectory. Freeze and his staff got some major recruiting wins over the summer, and there are surely more on the way. The team continues to improve, and the coaching staff is able to identify and address problems. When it comes down to it, fans just have to accept that this is a rebuilding year, and it’s all about working towards the future.
According to Paul Finebaum, the 2023 season of Auburn football is reminiscent of legendary coach Pat Dye’s first season on the Plains back in the 1980s:
"“Auburn showed me a great deal. I’m a big believer in setting a template for the future. It reminded me a great deal of Pat Dye’s first year at Auburn. Had a couple narrow misses against SEC teams,” Finebaum said. “But I remember him after the games saying that we’re setting the foundation right now. We may not have won but we’ll beat them the next time and the time after that.”"
This past weekend was certainly a narrow miss for the Tigers against the #1 team in the nation, but although it may have been a loss on the scoreboard it was a win in the eyes of the recruits that made the trip to the Plains for the game. 2023 may not be the year, but in 2024 and 2025, look out for the Tigers.