After a couple of underwhelming seasons back in the SEC as Head Coach on the Plains, Hugh Freeze enters what many are calling a make or break 2025 season as the Head Coach at Auburn.
After close losses at home to both Georgia and Alabama in his rookie campaign as the Tiger’s Head Coach, Freeze stuck with Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne at QB, as both Thorne and Freeze would both enter their second season in orange and blue.
Although he showed a marked improvement in the stats category in 2024, Thorne had a tumultuous season which saw him ultimately unseated as the starting QB for a short time, until re-taking the reigns under centre and leading the Tigers to a 5-7 win/loss record, meaning they wouldn’t qualify for a bowl game.
After a solid career in Oxford with SEC foe Ole Miss, Freeze took his talents to Auburn, after earning the moniker of offensive guru and streamlining the RPO offence Freeze churned out a plethora of NFL talent while at Ole Miss, namely receivers DK Metcalf, AJ Brown, and tight end Evan Engram.
His time at Ole Miss came to an end after some off the field transgressions forced Freeze to head to Liberty where he coached Malik Willis at QB, who now plays pro ball as a backup for the Green Bay Packers.
Freeze ultimately spent 4 seasons at Liberty, amassing a 34-15 record before heading back to the SEC to coach the Tigers of Auburn.
Auburn’s coaching staff boasts a good bit of continuity, as both their offensive and defensive coordinators are back for another campaign on the Plains. Although Freeze calls the offensive plays, Derrick Nix returns for the 2025 campaign as Freeze’s right hand man on the offensive side of the ball, as Nix paved a similar coaching path as Freeze, coaching alongside Freeze at from Ole Miss and then journeying to Auburn.
Continuing with the theme of continuity, DJ Durkin returns as the coordinator of Auburn’s defence in 2025 after an up and down 2024 campaign. Auburn’s defence gave up 330 total yards per game in 2024, good for the 9th best defence in the SEC. The Tigers hope that with another season under the tutelage of Durkin, as well as some returning stalwarts in the secondary and pass rusher, their hopefully improved defensive unit as a whole will allow Auburn to boast a more stingy unit on the defensive side of the ball in 2025.
When it comes to special teams, it doesn’t need to be restated that unit left a lot to be desired in 2024. Stud placekicker Alex McPherson suffered an unfortunate digestion condition during the 2024 season, leaving the door open for Towns McHugh to be the Tiger’s starting kicker.
For the last decade, field goal kicking has been a model of consistency on the Plains, which unfortunately changed in 2024. McHugh made all of his 27 extra point attempts, but ultimately hit only 5/12 of his field goal attempts. Not piling on Towns, just presenting the stats.
For a rare bout of inconsistency, Australian punter Hudson Kaak will suit up in orange and blue on the Plains this Fall. Kaak transferred to Auburn from Oklahoma State and looks to take his talents to the SEC for his Junior season as the starting punter for Auburn.
Returning kicks for the Tigers this fall will be Jeremiah Cobb, a Junior running back, as well as speedy transfer receiver Eric Singleton on their early depth chart as kick returners.
Read the other previews: Offence, Defence.
