Last Monday, in Hugh Freeze's weekly press conference, the Auburn head coach was asked whether he had spoken with athletic director John Cohen following the Tigers' fourth straight loss, dropping them to 3-4 and 0-4 in SEC play.
Following the Tigers' victory over Arkansas on Saturday, Freeze and Cohen shared a brief celebratory moment on the field in Fayetteville.
On Monday, he was, for some odd reason, asked if he and Cohen had spoken again. This time, the Auburn head coach answered a bit differently, and rightfully so.
"I don’t get into those conversations because how does that help with our focus on what it should be on, and that’s on these kids and getting ready to win another football game?" Freeze said. "That’s what we’re hired to do. I think all of us that sign up for this know that you’re fighting for your life from day one that you get into it."
There's a good reason the two might be talking more than usual: the SEC has already seen three coaches fired before we even reach November, and for reasons, Freeze's job is not exactly safe. The win against the Razorbacks calmed some of the noise surrounding his job status, but there are still plenty of people calling for his head after the rough start to SEC play.
Still, Freeze is concentrated on what he can control, and that is winning games.
"I just don’t focus at all on that," he said. "I trust in our administration, President (Chris) Roberts, John Cohen and those guys. I’ve been here just short of three years, and is the program better than when I got here on the roster? Yes. Are we close? Yes. I’ve won everywhere I’ve been, and I believe with all of my heart that we’re going to win big here. My focus needs to be not on anything other than, ‘How do I help these young men grow this week as players and as young men, and how do I help our staff become even more united that they are?’, and they’re pretty dang united. That’s where my focus lies, and I really don’t have any desire to have any discussions about anything other than that.”