Steve Spurrier sees Hugh Freeze as 'a little bit unlucky' at Auburn

Hugh Freeze isn’t the most popular man on the Plains right now. The Auburn head coach suffered another crushing home loss this past weekend — this time to the Georgia Bulldogs — dropping the Tigers to 3-3 overall and winless in SEC play.

While Freeze has taken the brunt of the criticism, college football legend Steve Spurrier believes luck has played at least some role in Auburn’s struggles. On the latest episode of Another Dooley Noted Podcast, Spurrier offered a sympathetic perspective, though he acknowledged the program could still make a move sooner rather than later.

“He has been a little bit unlucky there. That’s for sure,” Spurrier said. “They most likely will make a change. When you look at the record of so many of these coaches — well, five, ten years from now they’d be making a change, so they’re probably going to make one now. … Sometimes if you’re patient with a coach, he can get it turned around, but I don’t know — I’m glad I don’t have to make those decisions right now.”

All told, Freeze’s record at Auburn now stands at 14–17 overall and 5–14 in SEC play. He’s urged patience since his arrival, emphasizing roster development through recruiting and the transfer portal. Recruiting, to his credit, hasn’t been the issue — Auburn has signed back-to-back top-10 classes according to the Rivals Industry Team Rankings.

Still, the on-field results haven’t followed. The Tigers’ frustrations have been compounded by costly penalties and controversial officiating moments in key SEC games. Up next, Auburn travels to face Missouri before entering a brutal stretch that includes Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mercer and a massive Iron Bowl showdown at home against Alabama.

For now, Freeze has the backing of athletic director John Cohen — though even that support comes with a cautious tone. Cohen was asked about Freeze’s job status after the Georgia loss and offered a telling metaphor.

“I don’t know if I’m going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not, I think it is,” Cohen said Monday via AL.com. “I have an expectation it will. But if my car doesn’t start enough, then I will evaluate that and make decisions about my car. But that’s not my expectation at this point about our football program.”

Time will tell whether Freeze can turn things around before Auburn’s patience runs out. One thing’s clear — if the Tigers don’t start winning soon, his tenure on the Plains could be nearing its end.

— On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this article.