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Lane Kiffin trolls Hugh Freeze over golfing-recruiting controversy

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp07/07/25
Syndication: The Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin shake hands after the game as Auburn Tigers take on Mississippi Rebels at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Mississippi Rebels defeated Auburn Tigers 28-21.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is no stranger to trolling on the Internet and on Sunday afternoon he took aim at Auburn coach Hugh Freeze. Kiffin posted two tweets that subtly shaded the Tigers head man.

The first was a post showing a 187.5-pound yellowfin tuna. The reference? Likely to recruiting and the ability to land big fish — something Auburn has been struggling with lately. Kiffin tagged Freeze directly in the post, though he offered no other commentary other than the photo.

The second was a far less subtle shot across the bow. That one was Kiffin digging up an old Freeze tweet from May featuring the Auburn coach holding a trophy after winning a golf tournament.

And the meaning on that one is quite obvious. Freeze recently came under fire when an article surfaced with his publicly posted golf scores. The Auburn coach had played 11 times in the month of June.

Meanwhile, Auburn’s recruiting has suffered mightily. As of Sunday evening, the Tigers’ 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 80 nationally.

Kiffin quote-tweeted the post from Hugh Freeze and said simply: “Great job Coach!! Game is on” with a fire emoji at the end.

The bottom line is this: Hugh Freeze is under fire, not just from his own fanbase, but from his rivals around the league. Such is life in the SEC.

Andy Staples: Hugh Freeze must win

The entire saga with the golf scores took on a life of its own in the last couple weeks. It’s one thing for it to be reported on. It’s another for it to strike a chord in the fanbase the way it has.

But ultimately, On3 insider Andy Staples believes there’s one thing Hugh Freeze can do to take control of the situation. Back to basics.

“As someone who spent plenty of time around peak Steve Spurrier, I can attest that no one cares how much golf a coach plays when he wins,” Staples wrote. “But Freeze has not won enough at Auburn. He’s 11-14 in two seasons. Another year like last year’s 5-7 campaign probably will get him fired. Freeze’s buyout after this season would be about $14.7 million, which is one of the most manageable in the SEC.

“This uncertainty — not Freeze’s length off the tee or his touch around the greens — is the reason Auburn’s 2026 recruiting class isn’t swelling with new four- and five-star commitments throughout the summer. We saw a similar situation play out at Florida last season under eerily similar circumstances. And if that is any indication, Auburn’s play this season will determine the fate of the 2026 class as well as the fate of Freeze.”