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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 way, Auburn has fired its head coach, according to multiple sources.
The embarrassing loss to Kentucky, in which Auburn scored just three points in the 10-3 loss, was the last straw for Freeze. He left the athletic department and boosters 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 when Auburn travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday before playing Mercer and Alabama to close out the 2025 season.
Auburn will owe Hugh Freeze about $15.5 million for the remaining years on his contract, according to sources. There were no negotiations about the acquisition.
For a coach who promised big things for the Auburn program, Freeze ended up sounding like a used car salesman during his last four years on the Plains. After each loss, for some reason, he would keep returning to the “We’re close” phrase that would send Auburn fans into a full-blown frenzy.
Ultimately, the offensive guru has put Auburn in a worse position than when it started. Most people 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 scores 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 on you, it’s over. So one would question why it took John Cohen so long to make a decision. Did the administration actually think a win over Arkansas would turn things around?
No, it just gave them more time to make a decision that should have been taken care of two weeks ago.
If considering going to Nashville next weekend to play Vanderbilt against the unofficial ‘governor’ of Auburn in Diego Pavia was a smart move, I imagine fans are relieved to know the decision was made in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Time to join the coaching carousel. Who could tigers hunt?
This whole situation was beyond repair and no amount of NIL funding was going to fix it. Auburn boosters had given enough, with a return on investment non-existent.
Now, Auburn joins LSU, Florida and Arkansas in searching for a new head coach. There will be plenty of questions centered around which job is best, but the Tigers are realistically number three on the 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, with plenty of influential ‘money men’ ready to throw NIL funding at the next head coach to stop players leaving, along with finding quick fixes on the transfer portal. There was no way Auburn could wait until the end of the season to make this move. Of course, fans will continue to show up and you can bet the Tigers will have a strong 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 sit at a podium with the Auburn logo flanking him.
Now we wait to see where the Tigers turn next, and they have plenty of company across college football.
