Many Auburn Tiger fans realized on Saturday during the team's 16-10 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies that Hugh Freeze probably wasn't the right choice to be the team's head football coach any longer. While he provided a nice recruiting boost that restored the fanbase's faith in the Auburn brand, the Tigers haven't actually improved on the field in any tangible way, or in the standings, under Freeze.
Cadillac Williams was leading a more exciting offense during the team's final four games of the 2022 season. Gus Malzahn was getting more out of lower-rated quarterback and receiver talent. Hell, even Bryan Harsin found the best running back of Freeze's tenure, Jarquez Hunter.
Freeze has not brought the team any more success in almost any category. Besides wasted NIL spend.
Tiger fans want someone new. But not everyone is realistic.
These three Power 4 coaches would likely slam the phone on Auburn AD John Cohen if he called them about the potentially imminent vacant Tigers coaching job Freeze currently occupies.
Lane Kiffin
Auburn fans' reaction to Lane Kiffin's documentary release this past week proves he was the true preferred choice back in 2022 when the team hired Freeze. As it turns out, AU did hire Kiffin, but he was convinced to stay with the Ole Miss Rebels by his daughter, Landry.
Also revealed in "The Many Lives of Lane Kiffin" was that Kiffin would only take one job opening if it became available: the Alabama Crimson Tide job that Kalen DeBoer current holds. After Alabama knocked off the Georgia Bulldogs, 24-21, Between the Hedges on Saturday night, DeBoer looks more likely to win a national championship than get his pink slip. Then again, his Tide defeated the Dawgs last year too. DeBoer's program already has one unfathomable loss on the season, and it only takes two more for that fanbase to lose its cool.
Anyway, Kiffin either wants a return to Tuscaloosa, or he'll remain in Oxord, Mississippi, indefinitely.
Lincoln Riley
Former Tigers receiver Anthony Schwartz floated Lincoln Riley as a potential Freeze replacement on Saturday night as Auburn squandered its chance at Kyle Field via Jackson Arnold trying to will the final drive with his legs. Riley is a QB whisperer who helped Caleb Williams become a Heisman winner with the USC Trojans. He'd be a smart hire.
But why would Riley leave Southern California when he has the No. 1 overall recruiting class in 2026? The NIL spend would be hampered by Freeze's buyout, barring miracle fundraising. Why would Riley leave a sure thing in the Big Ten with little in-state competition for top recruits for a school that's battling Georgia and Alabama for in-state blue-chips?
He wouldn't. And he won't.
Dan Lanning
Dan Lanning just led the Oregon Ducks over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday night during PSU's White Out game. You could see in the postgame interview how much Lanning loves his job, leading quarterback after quarterback, year after year, into Heisman contention because of his elite offensive coordinator choices.
There's a real chance Lanning loses Will Stein this offseason, just as he did Kenny Dillingham in 2023. There's also a real chance he picks the right guy to replace him. The University of Oregon's donor base, led by Nike co-founder Phil Knight, will spend whatever it takes to get Lanning his guy.
Lanning isn't leaving the Pacific Northwest until he finishes the business of getting Oregon over the top. A return to the SEC for any school other than UGA or Alabama feels unlikely.