Hugh Freeze on fans calling for his job: 'Few things go our way earlier in the year, we’re looking at a whole different deal'

The noise surrounding Hugh Freeze only grew on Saturday. Auburn only scored three points amid quarterback struggles/changes, losing to Kentucky at home. Already sitting on the hot seat before the loss, the flame certainly got stoked due to the result.

Still, Freeze is asking for some patience from the fan base. Freeze once again brought up some decisions that went against Auburn earlier in the year, believing the record should be moved in their favor.

“I wish I could ask for patience but that’s not really something people want to give in this day and time,” Freeze said via Michael Casagrande of AL.com. “And I understand that. I just know that we’re so dang close and if we had a few things go our way earlier in the year, I think we’re looking at a whole different deal. But it didn’t and that’s life. And that’s the game of football.”

Auburn being upset with officiating is well-documented at this point of the season. Losses to Georgia and Oklahoma saw referees play a major role in favor of the Tigers’ opponent. Enough to where Freeze, athletic director John Cohen, and university administration publicly spoke on the matter.

But as Freeze put it, “it didn’t.” Auburn now goes into a road game vs. Vanderbilt with a 4-5 overall record and 1-5 against SEC opponents. Arkansas is the lone conference win for Freeze this season, who does not have an SEC win of their own. Losses have piled up in heartbreaking fashion — four of the five have been by one score.

The schedule does not get any easier from here. As mentioned, a trip to Nashville is on deck. From there, a game everyone will expect to win, Mercer, takes place at Jordan-Hare Stadium. One week later, Alabama comes to town for the Iron Bowl to close out the regular season. Auburn will need to win two of three just to reach bowl eligibility.

If Cohen were to make any kind of move, On3’s Pete Nakos revealed what the buyout would look like for Auburn. Freeze would receive over $15 million, a number not too big compared to some others handed out by other programs in the recent weeks.

“If Auburn decided to part ways with Hugh Freeze at the end of the 2025 season, the Tigers would owe their head coach $15.4 million,” Nakos said via X.

Freeze is hoping he does not receive any of that money anytime soon. He wants more time to get things back on the right track for Auburn.