Hugh Freeze's 'player-friendly' coach narrative goes up in smoke after Auburn football's loss to Vanderbilt

Hugh Freeze did serious damage to his reputation as a "player-friendly" head coach after calling out Auburn football's Week 9 hero, Jarquez Hunter, following a 17-7 loss to Vanderbilt that dropped the Tigers to 3-6 on the year.

When asked why he didn't run the ball more and if Hunter was banged up, Freeze insulted his workhorse running back and claimed he looked tired.

"I don't think he was banged up. He just looked gassed to me," Freeze said on November 2 to reporters postgame (h/t The Auburn Observer's Justin Ferguson).

So much for looking out for your star player.

Things got even worse for Freeze's image following the Commodores' "upset" win over the Tigers. Vanderbilt LB Bryan Longwell shared a text he got from Freeze on December 22, 2022, in which Freeze told him he wouldn't be receiving an offer from AU via Twitter. Cadillac Williams' coaching staff offered him. Freeze's decided not to add a linebacker from the 2023 recruiting class.

Hugh Freeze is on thinner ice than ever with Auburn football

Throwing his players under the bus has Tiger fans sick of Freeze. Losing to programs like Cal and Vanderbilt likely has the program's power brokers in a similar boat.

It's one thing to expect a 4-8 season. It's another when the Commodores come to your stadium, hold you to a single score in 60 minutes, and beats you by double-digits.

Freeze only has recruiting to hang his hat on now. While beating Kentucky provided a reprieve from the horrors the 2024 season has brought, losing to Vanderbilt only opens up every wound back up again.

If he loses recruiting, this thing is over. The good vibes are so far gone it's hard to remember them at this point. Auburn is now the laughingstock of the SEC and should be thankful the Commodores upset Alabama earlier this season. Without the Crimson Tide's struggles under Kalen DeBoer, there'd be practically nothing football-related that can even make a Tiger fan happy.