Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who once held that position on the Auburn Tigers' coaching staff for two different stints, had the perfect message to his players for expectations upon arriving in Austin:
“Elite, consistent production. Period. End of sentence. Then I followed it up with, ‘I don’t really care how much NIL money you got. I care how you practice every day and how you produce every day. Every decision we make is about winning," Muschamp said to On3's Chris Low, explaining what he says to newcomers to the Longhorns.
If only Muschamp's sentiment were shared in Auburn's locker room over the past several seasons, when Hugh Freeze was leading the charge. Or at least when it seemed like Freeze was leading the charge.
As we've found out, Freeze lost his fire over the years at AU, eventually becoming a serial golfer who'd let his highest-paid players dictate the culture in the locker room. Without accountability, the program lost games it shouldn't have and never made significant progress.
"Hugh Freeze was more into feelings and more into ... look, you want to make good people. Obviously, being a good person is one of the most important things, but you're not being paid $8 million to put a Boy Scout troop together. You're getting paid $8 million to win football games, and you can't do that with the culture and identity that he has," On3's Jake Crain told me in January.
Now, this isn't to denigrate DJ Durkin. His defense was clearly disciplined, averaging 2.58 sacks per game, good for No. 8 nationally, and ceding the 10th-fewest rushing yards in the country. If anything, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian could've used Muschamp earlier, since his players clearly underperformed during a three-loss regular season that had national championship expectations.
Still, it's clear no one was put on the spot in that Tigers locker room for years. In fact, the only people Freeze seemed to hold to the fire by name were top performers like running back Jarquez Hunter, whom he tormented in 2024 with postgame accusations.
Alex Golesh is the perfect guy to follow up Hugh Freeze at Auburn
AU has found a new head coach who sounds a lot like Muschamp when it comes to accountability. Alex Golesh once said that "money doesn't rule" him. That's the exact kind of voice that can resonate in the locker room, especially with the players who played for his predecessor.
Of course, the talent acquisition portion still needs to live up to the Freeze era. The man can recruit, if nothing else. At least when accompanied by the "YellaFella" Jimmy Rane and Co.'s NIL/rev-share paychecks. What good is giving a guy a few million when he isn't going to give you his best, though?
If Golesh, like Muschamp, could demand the best out of every player, regardless of his salary, this program could finally start to move in the right direction.
Better late than never to install these values in the locker room, right?
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