The Auburn Tigers need to show major improvements in 2025 and just sneaking into a bowl game isn't going to be enough for a lot of angry people out there. Well, don't tell that to coach Hugh Freeze, who is entering a pressure-filled Year 3 in town.
This is Auburn we're talking about, a historic SEC powerhouse. The expectations are supposed to be quite high, especially with Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold all set to take over the offense. Despite that, Freeze is more focused on just making it to a bowl game rather than pushing for 8-9 wins? That seems to be the case given his comments in a recent interview:
Auburn fans are not happy with the low bar Hugh Freeze is setting for 2025
"I'm not a fool," Freeze said when asked about the pressure to win 'x' amount of games this fall. "We've got to go to a bowl game. I think our administration understands. Look, I inherited a program that didn't have a Top 25 recruiting class for four years. You're not going to win in this league - we've had now two full recruiting classes, both Top 10. I think one more and your roster looks complete. I'm still not naive and we could have won some games last year. We've got to make sure we're excellent in those areas that cost us those."
Of all the things Freeze could have said to inspire some excitement surrounding the program, this is what he chose to discuss and focus on? We understand Freeze arrived on campus with the roster in a bit of a weak spot.
With that said, just playing beyond the regular season should not be the expectation for this group, ever. You're saying if Auburn wins 6-7 games and plays in a not-so sexy bowl that it will be considered a good enough campaign? No chance at all.
Freeze is no question entering the new season with his seat a bit warm. Plenty of Tigers supporters were ready for a coaching change after how things went in 2024. The pressure no question is on for this team to do a 180 and make some noise in the SEC. Already, however, Freeze is setting the bar incredibly low, which is a big-time disappointment.