The Auburn Tigers' failures in 2024 and 2025 will go down as two of the most egregious years in the school's illustrious football history. What Hugh Freeze squandered in his nearly three years cannot go unnoticed.
2023 was forgivable, given the massive overhaul. Freeze wasn't left with nearly the talent base Bryan Harsin inherited from Gus Malzahn. Things were supposed to be moving in the right direction during the 2024 season, though, and the product was expected to be fully mature by 2025.
"Mature" is not a trait that could be associated with the 2025 locker room. Players were not held accountable because the guy at the top was too busy refining his, admittedly very strong, golf game. Freeze did have a typical handicap between 5.9 and 7.6. He was no slouch. Actually, Freeze was the best golfer in the SEC's head-coaching hierarchy, but he had a chance to be the best, you know, coach. He underrecruited at the offensive tackle and quarterback spots, and his biggest and highest-paid stars were never able to shine on the Plains.
5-star former Central Red Devils receiver and Texas Longhorns transfer Cam Coleman was wronged more than any other player during the Freeze era. Coleman never reached the highest gear while playing with Payton Thorne, Hank Brown, Jackson Arnold, and Ashton Daniels over two years. That I just mentioned four quarterbacks in two seasons is a major issue, especially when injuries weren't the main cause. That Freeze was the play-caller and couldn't effectively feature Coleman more often is the biggest problem. There were 454 rushing attempts compared to 362 passing attempts. In college football, passing is more prevalent. In Freeze's offense last year, with an all-time weapon on the outside, the run completely dominated. Mainly because of the QB personnel.
Squandered. That's the only way to describe Coleman's college career down the road from his hometown. ESPN's Billy Tucker only furthered that point by describing the prototypical, dare I say perfect, WR-X when talking about Coleman and his fit in the Longhorns' offense with Arch Manning. Tucker also included the caveat that his stats don't match because of who AU supplied him at the QB position.
"...at Auburn despite inconsistent quarterback play..."
"Coleman checks plenty of boxes. He was the No. 5 player in ESPN's SC Next 2024 rankings, then totaled 93 catches for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns at Auburn despite inconsistent quarterback play. At 6-foot-3, he offers excellent size, a wide catch radius, elite body control and the ability to track the deep ball at full speed. He excels in contested-catch situations, particularly on back-shoulder throws and in the red zone, where he can use his frame to create mismatches. Coleman also averaged 14 yards per reception and provides value after the catch with his ability to create explosive plays in space," Tucker wrote.
Everyone speaks of Coleman like someone we were robbed of seeing more of. They are all right. There were self-inflicted wounds, since On3's Jake Crain and former Auburn center Cole Cubelic have knocked Coleman's focus and dedication in practice. But it's not uncommon for an elite receiver to disengage when the QB play is not up to snuff. He got paid enough not to let that happen, but the market dictates that the Tigers were the problem.
Texas has all the faith in the world that Coleman will finally live up to his all-world expectations. The Longhorns are paying him like it, and Coleman is already delivering results in the weight room and in practice and scrimmages.
If/when Coleman does soar to those heights in burnt orange, we'll have to revisit just how wasted his years were in orange and blue. Thanks, Hugh.
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