Paul Finebaum believes in Auburn football. And he likes the Tigers' chances in 2025 after Hugh Freeze rebuilt his roster with a strong transfer portal effort headlined by the addition of ex-Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold.
Finebaum was particularly high on Freeze's in-state recruitment. Auburn landed eight of the top 10 prospects in the state of Alabama.
“I’m also strangely bullish – and I don’t think it’s strange but, every time I bring this up to somebody, they shoot me down. But I like what I see from Auburn,” Finebaum said, per On3.
“I think they went out and landed a quarterback that I think can help them, even though he maybe didn’t do much for Oklahoma."
Finebaum had to do an obligatory mention of AU's recent struggles, most notably a 5-7 finish in 2024.
“Now he still faces a critical season. I’m not washing that away. And it really doesn’t matter and it won’t matter if he doesn’t have a big year but I do like the momentum there," Finebaum said.
Freeze's track record on the Plains thus far cannot be overlooked. One thing he hasn't proven capable of yet is winning important games on the road. Luckily, he'll have the two most important games of the season, the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry and Iron Bowl, taking place at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Georgia has slipped defensively and Alabama is a giant question mark under Kalen DeBoer. There's never been a bigger opening for the Tigers, barring both of those teams figuring things out.
Losing to both would still leave the door open for Auburn to make the College Football Playoff. A Tennessee-esque season isn't impossible for a program that was ahead of the Volunteers for most of the last decade.
Of course, Tiger fans would take 7-5 or 8-4. Even one winning season would have optimism at an all-time high in Auburn.
A large swath of fans have believed in Freeze to his point. Why stop now since many expect things to finally turn around with a new QB, the maturation of two good recruiting classes, and the addition of the No. 6 recruiting class in the country this cycle?