Hugh Freeze addresses importance, pressure of 2025 season at Auburn

The 2025 season has now become an even bigger one in the third year for Hugh Freeze as head coach at Auburn. He knows that as much as anyone and wants to embrace that with the team he has this fall on The Plains.

While at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Tuesday, Freeze was asked at his press conference if this has become the most important season of his career coming up. He sees it that way if for no other reason than the Tigers should always have this level of expectation on their falls.

“Man, I embrace, I embrace the expectations of Auburn,” Freeze said. “You should have them there and I think, every season, you should have the expectations.”

This was already a big year for Auburn with a losing record through two years under Freeze at 11-14 (.44) overall, which has made it four years straight of losing seasons with no records with more than six wins in the 2020s. Some of the storylines around Freeze from the past month or so have only added to that going into ’25.

That said, the Tigers might have a team in place and the program where it needs to be to have the season that many are hoping for on The Plains. It’s now just about them finding a way to close out and win those games and get there.

“The exciting thing now is I really like this locker room and, you know, I like the kids, I like coaching them. I like our staff. And, I think we are primed,” Freeze said. “It’s time now to be in every game and then starting to find a way to win them by doing the little things better that we didn’t last year.”

Greg McElroy picks Auburn as a dark horse for the SEC Championship

Before the SEC Preseason Media Poll is released, there are several perceived favorites expected to be at the top who will likely get votes as SEC Champions come December. However, ESPN’s Greg McElroy gave out a pick as to who could be a dark horse to win the conference, deciding to go with the Auburn Tigers in saying as much on Wednesday at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. He likes the roster they’ve put together, with quarterback being the lone question mark.

“The dark horse is Auburn,” McElroy said. “A huge question mark around the quarterback spot, for sure. Jackson Arnold last year, benched at Oklahoma, turnover issues, lacked confidence at times, gets replaced, gets put back in the lineup, finishes okay. He now gets a fresh start. But if you look at what’s around him, he’s got a really good supporting cast and I like what they have on defense at all three levels. So guys, I think Auburn is a legitimate SEC Championship contender, assuming their quarterback, Jackson Arnold, reaches his potential as a former five-star quarterback.”