Eugene Asante sends fair message to both Auburn football fans and Hugh Freeze
Eugene Asante didn't sugarcoat Auburn football's continued losing. He also didn't throw his head coach, Hugh Freeze, under the bus and put the onus on himself and his teammates to take responsibility for losing.
“I know it hurts the fans that the results aren’t there, but I do believe in the leadership of this team. I do believe in coach [Hugh Freeze] and his vision,” Asante said (h/t AL.com). “I understand with somebody like that at the helm, good things can come out of it. The biggest thing is just us as players taking accountability for our mistakes.”
Asante believes the bye week came at a good time and encouraged fans to believe that a major momentum swing can change the vibes immediately.
“I think the bye week was good in terms of trying to refocus ourselves on everything we need to do and be able to understand we still have goals we want to accomplish with this team," Asante said. "Obviously we had goals at the beginning of the season. Just readjusting and pivoting our goals and understanding that we can finish the season strong.
“I really believe once you get one and gain momentum you understand and get back into the swing of things. Confidence really does come from winning and having good tape and going out there and playing well. If we can get one it would build a spark within this team that it really needs at the moment.”
Eugene Asante never buried Auburn football's head coach, even when it was Bryan Harsin
Asante was a Bryan Harsin recruit in the Boise native's second recruiting cycle. To Asante's credit, the Ghana-born LB never took cheap shots at the highly unpopular ex-AU head coach who brought him to the Plains.
Asante redshirted in 2022 before breaking out in 2023 under Freeze. The opportunity was there to trash Harsin for keeping him on the pine after becoming an impact player at UNC in 2020 and 2021 under Mack Brown. He didn't take it.
Asante is a leader on the Tigers for reasons like that. He represents an Auburn man in every way possible.
It's easy to trash someone who the public piles on. Freeze and Harsin included. But Asante will never be dragged into that muck.