BY BRANDON HUGHES
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPINION — Hugh Freeze’s tenure as the head football coach at Auburn University has come to an end. It was difficult to envision any scenario where Freeze was on the sideline for Auburn’s 2026 season opener, so it wasn’t so much a matter of if, but when he would be terminated. Defensive Coordinator DJ Durkin was named the interim head coach by athletic director John Cohen.
Cohen issued the following statement about the firing:
“I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn Football program. Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster. Our expectations for Auburn Football are to annually compete for championships, and the search for the next leader of Auburn Football begins immediately.”
When a football coach is fired, there is almost always a game fans can look back on as the moment everything turned, and you just know the coach is on borrowed time. For Freeze, that was the Texas A&M game. The offensive play-calling and execution were so poor that, for the second game in a row, the Tigers lost a game they had every opportunity to win.
From there, the offense teased progress with early touchdowns in its next three games, only to disappear for quarters at a time as Auburn fans looked on with the excruciating dread of inevitability. The Tigers escaped Fayetteville with a win behind four defensive turnovers and six field goals, but then came the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
Saturday night, under the lights of Jordan-Hare Stadium, against the Kentucky Wildcats (3-5, 1-5) — winless in the SEC — Auburn (4-5, 1-5) fell 10-3 in the offensive equivalent of a pillow fight. It was only Kentucky’s second win over Auburn in 21 games dating back to 1967.
The Auburn offense, against the conference’s two worst defenses (Arkansas and Kentucky), scored exactly one touchdown in 21 possessions. The lone touchdown was scored on the first of those possessions, so the Tigers went 20 consecutive drives across seven quarters without finding the endzone. That included seven trips to the red zone without a touchdown to show for it.
In SEC play, the Kentucky defense was allowing 34.4 points per game. In their previous game against Tennessee, they gave up 56 points. For further perspective, on a night when game seven of the World Series was being played, Auburn was outscored by both the Los Angeles Dodgers (5) and the Toronto Blue Jays (4).
The Wildcats’ defensive unit had not recorded more than three sacks in a game all season, but they took down Auburn QBs seven times, which shouldn’t come as a shock given that Auburn is dead last nationally in sacks allowed.
Yet again, however, the defense was outstanding, holding another opponent to less than half of its scoring average (Kentucky came in averaging 24 ppg). For the fifth time in six games, the Tigers held their opponent under 100 yards rushing (79). It’s the 13th time in 21 games that the defense has done so under Durkin’s leadership.
The final line on Freeze: Freeze finishes 15–19 overall, 6–16 in SEC play, 9-11 at home, and 1–12 against ranked opponents. His 19 losses are the second-most for any Auburn coach who spent three seasons with the program — only Earl Brown (22) had more. Freeze is the first Auburn coach since 1950 to coach at least three seasons to leave with a losing record against SEC opponents.
There is still plenty to play for — a bowl game and, of course, the Iron Bowl at home. The story of the 2025 Auburn Tigers is still being written. Whether it becomes a tale of revival or a final chapter in mediocrity depends on what happens in the final three games of the season.
By the Numbers:
- Auburn’s first loss when allowing 10 points or less since 1991.
- Auburn is one of three FBS teams to hold every opponent under 24 points this season. The other two teams, Ohio State and Indiana, are ranked in the top 10 with a combined record of 17-0.
- Fifth fewest ppg allowed in SEC play since 1980.
Up Next
Away versus Vanderbilt at 3 p.m. on the SEC Network.
