With news breaking on Sunday afternoon that Auburn had fired Hugh Freeze after 34 games as its head football coach, the school's athletic department confirmed the move with a statement from athletic director John Cohen.
“I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn Football program. Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster. Our expectations for Auburn Football are to annually compete for championships and the search for the next leader of Auburn Football begins immediately.”
The move came after a humiliating 10-3 loss to Kentucky on Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium, in which the Tigers put up just 241 yards of offense and were unable to block a Wildcats' defense, allowing seven sacks.
In his two-plus seasons, Freeze was 15-19 as Auburn's head coach, including 6-16 in SEC play. Eleven of those 19 losses came in Jordan-Hare, considered one of the toughest places to play in college football.
A lack of offense in SEC play this season, in which the Tigers are currently 1-5, was a downfall for Freeze. Auburn averaged 15 points per game in conference play, thanks to its defense, which kept the team in the game, including in the only win when DJ Durkin's defense forced four Arkansas turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Durkin, who was the head coach at Maryland from 2016-18, takes over in the interim role for the final three games of the season.