Hugh Freeze health update: Former Auburn HC gives latest following surgery after firing

During an exclusive interview with AuburnSports’ Justin Hokanson, former Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze gave an update on his health. Freeze underwent back surgery following his firing from the program on Nov. 2.

“I feel great man,” Freeze said. “Really, I had needed a back surgery probably since like January or February. I knew that I had some nerve impingement and you know, you just gut it out. It had gotten to where it was certainly painful. Doctors took good care of me with some different meds to try and be able to function at a high level.”

“I’d already had the surgery scheduled for the open week before Mercer because they felt like I’d be back. So I’m three weeks out yesterday and man, I’m feeling good. Pain’s gone, so I’m very, very blessed and ready to go for another walk this afternoon with my youngest daughter.”

Just nine games into his third season at the helm, Freeze was swiftly let go following Auburn‘s 10-3 loss to Kentucky on Nov. 1. Across his 34-game tenure, Freeze led the Tigers to a 15-19 (6-16) record. After back-to-back seven-loss campaigns, improvement was expected from the program in year three of the Hugh Freeze era. That however did not come to fruition, leading to a change in leadership being made.

Alex Golesh named as Auburn’s new head coach on Nov. 30

Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was elevated to interim head coach for the final three games of the season, in which Auburn went 1-2 with a win over Mercer and losses to No. 16 Vanderbilt and No. 10 Alabama. The Tigers finished the season 5-7, missing bowl eligibility for the third time in four seasons.

To replace Freeze, Auburn announced its hire of former USF head coach Alex Golesh on Nov. 30. Golesh inherited a Bulls program in 2023 (that had gone 8-37 over the previous four seasons) and led them to a 23-15 record across three seasons.

“The opportunity to come into a place like Auburn and specifically to get here On the Plains… I mean, this is one of the premier jobs in the entire country,” Golesh said on Wednesday’s edition of SportsCenter. “For me, I’ve dreamed of an opportunity like this. When this opportunity came about, you sprint with this. It’s life changing, not in the sense that the level that it’s at or what it really is.”

“It’s life changing because this is one of the very few places in the country that you can come and win a national title at. So, you run to it and it’s surreal in every way,” Golesh said. “But I’ve said it to the guys I’m really, really close with. I’m like, ‘Man, I feel like I’m in a movie.’”

Auburn is indeed heading towards a new era, while it appears as if Freeze isn’t quite done coaching yet.