As the Auburn Tigers prepare for the 2025 season, head coach Hugh Freeze finds himself under increasing scrutiny. Now in his third year leading the program, expectations are high, and many believe this season will be a defining moment in his tenure.
The Growing Pressure on Hugh Freeze
During an appearance on Joel Pate’s College Football Show, analyst Joel Pate discussed the weight of expectations surrounding Freeze and Auburn. He emphasized that, in modern college football, programs have numerous resources and tools at their disposal to rebuild rosters efficiently. Given Auburn’s financial backing and infrastructure, Pate argued that there is no justification for continued struggles in Year 3.
“The pressure is fair in Year 3 because, in today’s college football, with all the roster reconstruction mechanisms at your disposal and how well resourced Auburn University is, you have no excuse to struggle in Year 3,” Pate stated. “Hugh Freeze knows that, everyone at Auburn knows that. They’ve got capable people in that building, and from the moment they stepped in, they understood they had a three-year rebuild on their hands.”
The Quarterback Conundrum
One of Auburn’s biggest concerns heading into the 2025 season is uncertainty at the quarterback position. Pate pointed out that while Auburn isn’t necessarily expected to compete for an SEC Championship immediately, noticeable progress is essential.
“It’s not like we’re demanding them to be in Atlanta when the dust settles in December, but they better be a lot better than they’ve been the last couple of years,” Pate said. “And it is still unknown because you really don’t know what you have at quarterback. In Year 3, it better happen—you better see significant improvement. And, as it usually does in this sport, it boils down to the quarterback position.”
The starting quarterback role is expected to be filled by Jackson Arnold, a transfer from Oklahoma. Last season, Arnold completed 154-of-246 pass attempts (62.6%) for 1,421 yards, throwing 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions. His performance will be crucial in determining Auburn’s fate in 2025.
Freeze’s Record So Far and the Road Ahead
Hugh Freeze’s first two years with Auburn have been less than stellar. The team has posted an 11-14 overall record across 25 games, including a winless bowl game appearance and two consecutive seasons without a winning record.
Auburn’s 2025 Opponents
While the full schedule for the 2025 college football season has not been officially released, Auburn’s opponents are already known. The difficulty of the schedule could play a significant role in how the season unfolds.
Road Games
Baylor Bears
Oklahoma Sooners
Texas A&M Aggies
Arkansas Razorbacks
Vanderbilt Commodores
Home Games
Ball State Cardinals
South Alabama Jaguars
Georgia Bulldogs
Missouri Tigers
Kentucky Wildcats
Mercer Bears
Alabama Crimson Tide
With a challenging slate ahead, Auburn will need significant improvements to avoid another disappointing season. The pressure is on Hugh Freeze to prove that his rebuild is heading in the right direction, and his success—or failure—could define the future of the program.