Auburn football HC Hugh Freeze reacts to heartbreaking Iron Bowl loss

It was a tough weekend to be an Auburn football fan. After a roller coaster of a 2023 season, the Tigers ended with a 6-6 record and bowl eligibility in head coach Hugh Freeze’s first year on the Plains. Though going bowling is something to be proud of, the season definitely left a lot of folks wishing for more.

The 2023 Iron Bowl was a brutal loss for Auburn football, who led for most of the game and down to the last minute of the fourth quarter when Alabama scored on 4th and 31 with under a minute on the clock.

Freeze began his press conference on Monday by thanking the fans for showing up and showing out. He called it “the best college football atmosphere” he’s ever experienced, and says he will forever regret that they weren’t able to celebrate a win. Same here, Coach.

But the coaching staff has to move on quickly and turn their attention to recruiting, which is now the number one priority on the Plains. Signing day is around the corner, but the coaches will also have to determine who is out of eligibility, who will be looking for playing opportunities elsewhere, and who will be around for another season, not to mention the opening of the transfer portal in the coming days.

Freeze noted that there were plenty of recruits at the Iron Bowl that saw the vision for the future, and the recruitment of its own roster begins today, per Auburn Undercover. His recruiting pitch? Auburn football has everything but the win. Once we get the right guys on the Plains, the wins will come.

The 2023 regular season ended as a disappointment. Progress was made, and rebuilds don’t take place over night, but Auburn football should have won the Iron Bowl, and there were several other games the Tigers should have won this season, too.

While nothing can be done to change this season’s results, we can look to the future and know that this will be the worst that this team ever looks under Hugh Freeze, and good things are coming for Auburn football.