Here is one more reason why firing Hugh Freeze won't be a big deal for Auburn football

One sure-shot good thing to come out of Hugh Freeze's hire will be his buyout -- since Auburn football played that one cleverly when drafting Freeze's contract. USA Today's Blake Toppmeyer explained how Auburn "left the escape hatch easy to find."

If Freeze gets fired, AU would owe him $20.3 million. Sounds pretty good for Freeze right? It does, without the caveat. Auburn learned a thing or two from their past experiences with handling coaches and structured Freeze's contract wisely, in a way that it won't put a hole in their pocket when they fire him.

"If Auburn fires Freeze, it could spread out its financial obligations to him in monthly payments throughout the remainder of his contract, which runs through the 2028 season," Toppmeyer wrote.

"In other words, don’t think of the cost of firing Freeze as one giant flush of cash. Instead, think of it as an annual hit of less than $4.9 million for the next four years. That’s an absorbable expense for a robust SEC athletic department, especially if it means swapping Freeze for a better coach. Cost of doing business."

What might be a problem if Hugh Freeze is fired

Freeze might have failed to meet expectations as a winning head coach, but he outdid himself in the recruiting department. The steady flow of blue-chip recruits despite a poor record suggests how well Freeze recruits. Auburn might not be winning, but they have a roster that surely can.

If Auburn fires Freeze, finances won't be the problem, recruiting would be. Precisely why the athletic department will aim for someone who is as big of a recruiting mastermind as him.

Until then, Freeze will be around.