Auburn made loads of noise this offseason with another spectacular recruiting effort from Hugh Freeze. The third-year coach landed top transfer receiver Eric Singleton Jr. and upgraded at numerous other positions through the portal, and that was in addition to his second straight top-10 class via the high school ranks. Talent acquisition is just one half of the equation, though, and with two losing seasons under his belt, Freeze has not delivered the on-field success the Tigers faithful expect. Auburn Undercover’s Nathan King joined Bud Elliott on the Cover 3 College Football Summer School series to preview expectations for the Tigers this fall.
What are the stakes for Auburn in 2025?
The wins have yet to stack up for Freeze, but he earned himself some goodwill from the Auburn fanbase with his recruiting efforts in the absence of victories. After he debuted with the No. 10-ranked class (per 247Sports) in his first full cycle, Freeze followed up the outstanding haul with the nation’s No. 8-ranked class. Consecutive terrific years on the recruiting trail give the Tigers momentum entering 2025, but at some point, they have to win more than six games.
“This roster is in as good of a place as it’s been probably since 2019,” said King. “Very much a ‘show-me’ year for Hugh Freeze. I don’t think it’s a pressure-packed, hot seat type season. But it is a ‘no more excuses, put up or shut up’ kind of season for Hugh Freeze.”
Freeze holds a hot seat rating of 4.22 out of five in this year’s voting results from the CBS Sports team of college football experts. Externally, the pressure is on. That rating indicates that Freeze has to show some kind of improvement, otherwise Auburn may move on from him after Year 3.
Breakout player everybody needs to…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/auburn-football-2025-win-total-sec-outlook-as-hugh-freeze-enters-pivotal-year-with-tigers/
Author : Carter Bahns
Publish date : 2025-08-04 13:20:00
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