How Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze stacks up against SEC coaches

How does Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze compare in the rankings to other SEC coaches?

The new era of the Southeastern Conference has officially begun. July marked the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to college football's greatest conference as well as the abolition of the east and west divisions, dramatically changing the SEC.

CBS Sports' Will Backus recently ranked all 16 SEC head coaches, including Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze, who is entering into his second year on the Plains. The 2023 season ended in disappointment, from the New Mexico State disaster to the Iron Bowl loss to the Music City Bowl embarrassment, and fans are clamoring to see improvement from the Tigers after years of mediocrity.

So how does Freeze compare to his fellow coaches heading into 2024? Backus places Freeze and the Tigers at the #10 spot.

"Freeze's first year on The Plains was a bit of a dud, but most knew that at least a slight rebuild was in order given the roster he inherited. The former Ole Miss boss has set out to improve the talent across the board -- particularly along the lines of scrimmage -- and has surrounded incumbent quarterback Payton Thorne with enough talent to improve upon last year's six-win total. Thorne himself may be a bit of limiting factor, but Freeze's teams have always improved between his first and second years. No reason to think 2024 will be different."

Essentially, the consensus seems to be that Hugh Freeze and Co. have a lot to prove before the coaches or the team will be ranked in a respectable position. Below is the complete list of rankings from CBS:

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia
2. Brian Kelly, LSU
3. Steve Sarkisian, Texas
4. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
5. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
6. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
7. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri
8. Josh Heupel, Tennessee
9. Mike Elko, Texas A&M
10. Hugh Freeze, Auburn
11. Brent Venables, Oklahoma
12. Shane Beamer, South Carolina
13. Billy Napier, Florida
14. Sam Pittman, Arkansas
15. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
16. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State