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Hugh Freeze made one final walk off the field Saturday night after the loss to Kentucky, as the student section loudly chanted “Fire Freeze.” The students got their wish, Auburn fired its head coach, according to multiple sources.
The embarrassing loss to Kentucky, where Auburn scored just three points in a 10-3 loss, was the final straw for Freeze. He left the athletic department and reinforcements with no other option as the Tigers fell to 1-5 in the SEC.
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Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze walks off the field after a loss to Kentucky in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Auburn, Alabama. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin will serve as the Tigers’ interim head coach as Auburn travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday, before playing Mercer and Alabama to close out the 2025 season.
Auburn will owe Hugh Freeze approximately $15.5 million for the remaining years of his contract, according to sources. There were no negotiations regarding the purchase.
For a coach who promised great things for the Auburn program, Freeze ended up sounding like a used car salesman over the last four years in Plains. After every loss, for some reason, he kept coming back to the “We’re close” phrase that drove Auburn fans crazy.
In the end, the offensive guru has put Auburn in a worse position than when he started. Most would think the Bryan Harsin era was bad, but the Tigers have been stuck in neutral for years, with hope fading after each excruciating loss.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze reacts on the sideline after his team scored a touchdown against Arkansas during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
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Whether it was the Georgia game or the close loss to Missouri, the 2025 season has been a disaster. And when the fans turn against you, it’s over. So, one might wonder why it took John Cohen so long to make a decision. Did the administration really think a win over Arkansas would change things?
No, it simply gave them more time to make a decision that should have been made two weeks ago.
If you thought heading to Nashville next weekend to play Vanderbilt against Auburn’s unofficial ‘Governor’ in Diego Pavia was a smart decision, I imagine fans will be relieved to know that the decision was made in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It’s time to join the coaching carousel. Who could tigers hunt?
This whole situation was irreparable and no amount of NIL funding was going to fix it. Auburn’s boosters had given enough and the return on investment was non-existent.
Now, Auburn joins teams like LSU, Florida and Arkansas in the search for a new head coach. There will be a lot of questions centered on which job is better, but the Tigers are third on that list right now.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops talks with Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze before an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Auburn, Alabama. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
The support is there, along with plenty of influential ‘rich people’ ready to donate NIL funds to the next head coach to prevent players from leaving, as well as finding quick fixes in the transfer portal. There was no way Auburn could wait until the end of the season to make this move. Sure, the fans will still show up, and you can bet the Tigers will have a good showing at Vanderbilt next week in terms of fan support.
But Freeze looked like a coach at a loss for words, knowing it was the last time he would be sitting on a podium with the Auburn logo flanking him.
Now, we look forward to seeing where the Tigers, who have plenty of company throughout college football, go next.
