Auburn Urged to Fire Hugh Freeze if Tigers Lose on Saturday

The Auburn Tigers suffered a 23-17 double-overtime loss to the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, marking the team’s fourth consecutive loss.

With a 3-4 record to open the 2025 college football season, pressure continues to build for Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze.

Freeze took over as Auburn’s head coach before the 2023 season. Since then, he’s notched a 14-18 overall record and an abysmal 1-12 record against ranked opponents.

The former Ole Miss/Liberty head coach failed to achieve a winning record in each of his first two seasons with Auburn, going 6-7 and 5-7.

There are many who believe Freeze’s tenure with the Tigers could be coming to an end, including ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.

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During a recent appearance on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning,” Finebaum urged Auburn to part ways with Freeze if the Tigers lose to the unranked Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.

“I thought if he could win Saturday he could have some momentum because then you could sell the crowd on, ‘We only have three losses. Maybe we can get to Alabama,’” Finebaum said. “But now that seems to be gone. The schedule doesn’t look that difficult, except they still have a road game at Vanderbilt, which looks incredibly difficult. I think a loss Saturday, tell me what argument you could make to retain him. You now have five losses with Vanderbilt and Alabama ahead.”

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“I just think the goodwill has gone. I’m not trying to read the tea leaves, but it seems like more and more people are just flat out saying he was a mistake,” Finebaum continued. “I don’t think he was a mistake. I agreed with the decision. I’m not going to be hypocrytical about it. I don’t think it’s as urgent to unload him as it was Billy Napier. I also wish Hugh Freeze would just be very careful what he says. I think he’s hurt himself with public comments. I think he needs to show strength, not weakness. There is an incredibly narrow path for him to save his job, but I think the clock it ticking very loudly for him.”

Auburn is 0-4 to open up SEC play, suffering losses to Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia and Missouri. Each of those losses came by 10 points or less.

“Auburn football fans deserve better,” Finebaum continued. “The Auburn family deserves better. Because this guy just simply has not delivered. You cannot argue with the statistics. Finding a way to lose is one of the worst ways to retain your job because you give fans no faith. You have to win some games.

“… The truth is they’ve lost all these games and Hugh Freeze’s argument to be retained is almost nonexistent. That’s really the problem for John Cohen and the people that run Auburn.”

Freeze and Auburn will travel to Arkansas’ Razorback Stadium for a 12:45 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday.

If the Tigers are unable to stop their losing skid, the school will likely be forced to continue some difficult conversations about its program leader.