On3 Roundtable: How Hugh Freeze is connecting in ways Bryan Harsin couldn’t at Auburn

It’s not a stretch to say the Bryan Harsin hire didn’t go as expected at Auburn. After less than two full seasons at the helm and a 9-12 record, the Tigers fired him and ended up bringing in Hugh Freeze to take over the program.

With spring practice in the rear-view mirror, there’s already a big difference between the two, according to Auburn Live’s Justin Hokanson. Freeze has a different style when connecting with players — one that might be able to strike a different chord.

Freeze also doesn’t have the same shortcomings Harsin might have had when it comes to getting his message across.

“I think there’s a difference in you saying all the right things — whether it’s to the media, whether it’s to your players — and it landing with your team,” Hokanson said on On3 Roundtable with J.D. PicKell. “And I think from what I’ve seen from the players and talking to some different people, it feels like the way Hugh Freeze delivers messages, the way he is, the way he is around the team, it feels like the message is landing differently with the players.

“It feels like it’s more relatable. Whereas Bryan Harsin, it just, there always seemed to be a disconnect. You had some players that related to Bryan Harsin. It’s not like it was a complete whiff. But there were also a lot of guys on that team that I just think that his words and actions just kind of never landed with them. I think Hugh Freeze is very different.”

Auburn Live’s Justin Hokanson: ‘I think Hugh Freeze will go the extra mile to connect’

When Auburn hired Harsin, it brought in a coach who had never coached in the SEC. That’s not the case with Freeze, who was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012-16 before he resigned following multiple recruiting violations.

But even with his experience in the SEC, Freeze has also shown he can find a way to connect with players. That includes making their relationship a two-way street. Hokanson said that might make it easier to Freeze’s message to resonate not only with the players on the roster, but also with the fans and boosters.

“I think Hugh Freeze will go the extra mile to connect,” Hokanson said, “I think he’ll go the extra mile to understand a kid that may not already think the way he does or may not already subscribe to that culture, that type of lifestyle or whatever it might be that you want. I think Hugh Freeze will empathize, sympathize and connect with those guys.

“And so, I think that’s a that’s just a massive a massive difference in the two. Hugh Freeze’s ability to actually land the plane when it comes to messaging, culture with the players and with the fans and with the boosters. Obviously, the boosters are a different discussion. Harsin and the boosters were never getting along. But as it comes to the players, I think it’s just a difference in saying it and having it land, and I think that’s what Hugh Freeze is really good at is relating, being just that that down to earth guy and meeting the players where they are vs. Bryan Harsin wanting the players to meet him where he is. I think Hugh will go to them and meet them there. And I think that’ll help connect and get the messaging home.”