The Head Coach Hot Seat Rankings for 2024.

81usaf92

TideFans Legend
Apr 26, 2008
36,036
33,593
187
South Alabama
It might be competitive, but it won't be well-executed football.
On one hand what Oklahoma’s defense did to Tennessee makes me believe Auburn is in deep trouble no matter who the quarterback is, on the other hand what Oklahoma’s defense couldn’t do makes me believe Oklahoma is in deep trouble no matter who is their quarterback.

It’s your classic game of two mediocre teams going at each other. I guess go with the home team if you have to pick it.
 

teamplayer

Hall of Fame
Jul 31, 2001
7,750
2,675
282
cullman, al, usa
Freeze maybe one of the best coaches in the country in getting his teams fired up to play big games, but he also has a habit of losing games that he has absolutely no business losing.
I would say he is a little above average, but he is definitely results oriented. Saban was process oriented, and it was amazing how he not only excelled in big games but in the small ones, too. Freeze knows if he can beat UGA or Bama that the Aubs will forgive a lot of other sins, and he will continue to be paid a ridiculously high salary to coach a game. His teams resemble a roller coaster, while Saban always liked a straight line of excellent performance.
 

JamieSPC

1st Team
Aug 29, 2004
800
202
167
Maylene, AL
I mean it was a truly baffling hire to begin with.
THIS. Totally agree. Just a shocking hire. Besides the questionable football résumé.

I'm no fan of Auburn athletics in any way, but I am a citizen of my state and as an ag professional I take pride in the excellence of our land grant university. Having him as the face of it is sickening. We all test grace, but Hugh has a higher standard as a leader in his position. Even if we conceded that he had moved past the embarrassment at Ole Miss... That Auburn didn't fully vet his involvement in "issues" at Liberty—or DID and didn't care or consider—is honestly shocking, because I can't believe Auburn would be that obtuse institutionally,
 
Last edited:

TDBama78

All-American
Jul 11, 2007
4,256
1,087
187
I think Freeze wants out of Auburn and he's not that good of a coach. Let's look at Auburn is ranked 4th in NIL contributions in the SEC ahead of programs that are dong a lot better!

I hope he stays!
He looks tired, maybe tired of football in general, or tired of something or someone at aubren, he doesn't look totally invested, like his stay at ole miss for example, ,,if we could fire mahalzan and hire hugh freeze all our problems will be solved ,I'm waiting for the david housel speech to resurface
 

rolltide7854

All-American
Aug 20, 2007
2,067
1,118
187
Birmingham, Ala
THIS. Totally agree. Just a shocking hire. Besides the questionable football résumé.

I'm no fan of Auburn athletics in any way, but I am a citizen of my state and as an ag professional I take pride in the excellence of our land grant university. Having him as the face of it is sickening. We all test grace, but Hugh has a higher standard as a leader in his position. Even if we conceded that he had moved past the embarrassment at Ole Miss... That Auburn didn't fully vet his involvement in "issues" at Liberty—or DID and didn't care or consider—is honestly shocking, because I can't believe Auburn would be that obtuse institutionally,
Well, we are talking about Aubarn
 
  • Haha
Reactions: JamieSPC

BamaInBham

All-American
Feb 14, 2007
4,507
2,210
187
THIS. Totally agree. Just a shocking hire. Besides the questionable football résumé.

I'm no fan of Auburn athletics in any way, but I am a citizen of my state and as an ag professional I take pride in the excellence of our land grant university. Having him as the face of it is sickening. We all test grace, but Hugh has a higher standard as a leader in his position. Even if we conceded that he had moved past the embarrassment at Ole Miss... That Auburn didn't fully vet his involvement in "issues" at Liberty—or DID and didn't care or consider—is honestly shocking, because I can't believe Auburn would be that obtuse institutionally,
There’s little that AU won’t do to try and compete with Alabama, especially in regard to major sports. Look at whom AU has hired to coach its two major athletic programs: Hugh Freeze and Bruce Pearl. No more unseemly a pair exists in the SEC. The two most disgraced HCs in the conference.

Alabama passed on both Pearl and Kiffin and wouldn’t hire Freeze even as a coordinator, though Saban wanted him but Byrne told him no, iirc. It was not Sankey.
 

81usaf92

TideFans Legend
Apr 26, 2008
36,036
33,593
187
South Alabama
There’s little that AU won’t do to try and compete with Alabama, especially in regard to major sports. Look at whom AU has hired to coach its two major athletic programs: Hugh Freeze and Bruce Pearl. No more unseemly a pair exists in the SEC. The two most disgraced HCs in the conference.

Alabama passed on both Pearl and Kiffin and wouldn’t hire Freeze even as a coordinator, though Saban wanted him but Byrne told him no, iirc. It was not Sankey.
It’s far more complicated than that. Bryne did make the final decision on it, but he had considerable influence on him by Sankey to do it. You got to remember that there was no show cause on Hugh Freeze and the SEC couldn’t prevent anyone from hiring him because the facts that actually put Ole Miss on probation were shaky at best and were more retaliation for them getting away with paying for Tunsil, Treadwell, Nkademchie. The SEC really wanted the whole thing to go away and Freeze to stay away for along time.

More or less Byrne got strong hints that it wasn’t in Alabama’s best interests to hire Freeze in any capacity by the SEC. Yes he made the official final decision but let’s not act like he did it because he had some moral objection against hiring a guy like Freeze.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dtgreg and Con

dtgreg

All-American
Jul 24, 2000
3,368
2,232
282
Tuscaloosa
www.electricmonkeywrench.com
It’s far more complicated than that. Bryne did make the final decision on it, but he had considerable influence on him by Sankey to do it. You got to remember that there was no show cause on Hugh Freeze and the SEC couldn’t prevent anyone from hiring him because the facts that actually put Ole Miss on probation were shaky at best and were more retaliation for them getting away with paying for Tunsil, Treadwell, Nkademchie. The SEC really wanted the whole thing to go away and Freeze to stay away for along time.

More or less Byrne got strong hints that it wasn’t in Alabama’s best interests to hire Freeze in any capacity by the SEC. Yes he made the official final decision but let’s not act like he did it because he had some moral objection against hiring a guy like Freeze.
This was a real "Saban got lucky by not getting his way" moment. Either Saban thought he could "help" Mr. Freeze like he helped Kiffin and Sark and/or he was so angry that Auburn or Tennessee or Florida or someone else was going to hire Freeze in some capacity that Saban poisoned Freeze by making Sankey refuse to let him go to Alabama. Like "you're not going to tell me I can't hire him as a coordinator and then let South Carolina or Auburn hire him as the face of an SEC program". Which, of course, Sankey eventually did.
 

BamaInBham

All-American
Feb 14, 2007
4,507
2,210
187
Indeed. I thought it must have been a desperation hire.
Exactly. They thought because he was 2-4 vs Saban that he was “the man”. Well now he is 2-5 and Saban is gone but AU is stuck with him and CKW’s D is better equipped to handle Freeze’s O according to those who know such things.

Along with some extraordinarly good fortune in ‘15, Freeze’s O gave Saban’s D fits but Wommack’s D is designed to slow down O’s like UTx, UTn, LSU, AU, OM and Mizz. OTOH, it has more trouble with UGA than Saban’s D. Another reason Sat should be interesting, if not fascinating.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dathbama and Con

CrimsonCleanse

3rd Team
Dec 5, 2023
240
306
77
Granted you have to take preseason picks with a grain of salt. But, I really had to scratch my head at the ones picking auburn to win 10 plus games and make a run at the playoffs this season. Even in the best case scenario, they were not going to be there in year 2 of the rebuild. This such a different era from 2010 or 2013. Could Freeze get it going? It's possible. But to expect that in only the 2nd season of rebuilding from the ruins of Gus and Harsin is quite a reach.
 

New Posts

TideFans.shop - NEW Stuff!


Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.

Latest threads