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Paul Finebaum makes prediction on Hugh Freeze, Auburn in 2025 season

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs08/25/25grant_grubbs_
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Oct 5, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze on the field against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

After posting a combined 11-14 record in his first two seasons at the helm of Auburn, Hugh Freeze is under immense pressure to perform. During an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum revealed his expectations for Auburn’s 2025 campaign.

“I feel good,” Finebaum said. “It’s easy to be an optimist on a gorgeous late summer morning in Alabama when the record is 0-0. I’m gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. I think, for all the criticism that he has received, and much of it is self inflicted — at the core, he’s a good football coach.

“He’s got everything he needs, and I don’t know when a guy with the kind of record that he has, and some of the off the field miscues that he has suffered, couldn’t have any more support from John Cohen and this administration. So, I’m not predicting a playoff. I think 8-4 would be considered a reasonable record. I think that is doable.”

Freeze’s first two years at Auburn have led to this moment. The Tigers have 11 returning starters from last season, including several standouts such as wide receiver Cam Coleman and defensive end Keldrick Faulk.

Additionally, Auburn reeled in the No. 7 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings. The class is highlighted by quarterback Jackson Arnold, who will be starting behind center for the Tigers this fall.

Arnold will provide Auburn with much-needed experience at QB. He threw for 1,421 passing yards and 12 touchdowns last season at Oklahoma, while only throwing three interceptions. Now, he’ll look to help Hugh Freeze reach new heights at Auburn.

While Auburn has perhaps its most talented roster yet under Freeze, it doesn’t have an easy path ahead. The Tigers have four teams on their schedule that are ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. Additionally, Auburn squares off against Big 12 foe Baylor in its season-opener.

Auburn has the 14th-strongest schedule in the country, according to ESPN. Nonetheless, Finebaum believes the Tigers could squeak out some unexpected wins with a little luck.

“The home schedule is favorable in the sense of, the two biggest games of the year are at home,” Finebaum said. “Auburn has the ability to perhaps shock one of those two, meaning Georgia or Alabama.”

On Friday, Auburn will kick off its 2025 campaign with a showdown against Baylor at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air live on FOX.