One week after Brian Kelly's firing, Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze could become the next in the SEC to lose his job. With a 10-3 loss to Kentucky in Week 10, the Tigers are now 4-5 in 2025 and on a 1-5 skid since beginning conference play.
Many of Auburn's previous losses have been frustrating, but understandable. Losing to Kentucky at home as a double-digit favorite could be the final straw for the third-year head coach.
The team is already discussing the possibility of releasing Freeze, who has a reasonable $15.8 million buyout, according to On3 Sports' Pete Nakos.
“Auburn lost 10-3 on Saturday night at home to Kentucky, bringing more questions about Hugh Freeze's future as head coach,” Nakos wrote. “Sundays are typically off days on The Plains; as of 7 p.m. CT on Sunday, no team meeting has been scheduled. Auburn administrators are discussing the future of Freeze, sources have said. Meanwhile, sources across the industry are bracing for a change, though. The cost to fire Freeze on Sunday is $15.8 million, one of the more manageable buyouts in college football.”
Unless Auburn wins two of its last three games — during which it faces Vanderbilt and Alabama — Freeze is on track for his third losing season in as many years with the team. The Tigers will likely be two-touchdown underdogs to both the Crimson Tide and the Commodores.
Auburn's frustrating 2025 college football season
Auburn's 2025 season was not always a disappointment. The Tigers got off to a strong start with a 38-24 upset win over Baylor, the preseason favorite to win the Big 12.
However, since beginning SEC league play, they have just one win over a distraught Arkansas team that fired head coach Sam Pittman over a month before their meeting. Auburn has been competitive in losses to Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia and Missouri, but close losses do not show up on the record.
Adding to the frustration is the way the Tigers lost to Oklahoma and Georgia. Both games were wire-to-wire affairs that the SEC would later admit had faulty officiating that went against Freeze's team.
After Auburn's seven-point loss to Oklahoma, the league released a statement saying that one of the Sooners' biggest touchdowns of the game should not have counted. After their game against Georgia, the conference suspended head referee Ken Williamson after investigating several crucial missed calls.
Had those two games been appropriately officiated, Auburn could realistically be at or above .500 with a pair of ranked wins. Instead, Freeze is staring down another losing season with his job on the line each week.
