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Hugh Freeze left Auburn broken and bruised, and it’s in a mess that excellent coaches aren’t willing to take a risk. Perhaps it wouldn’t have come to this if the school had taken this much-needed step many years ago. One of Auburn’s own, however, might be interested in giving this tricky job a shot. Of all the job openings in the coaching market as of now, Auburn clearly doesn’t have the feathers to attract the best candidates. Nobody will want to take the lead of a program that Hugh Freeze has ravaged so severely, as they are 1-5 in the SEC. Former Auburn standout Takeo Spikes amused fans and administrators by humorously suggesting he should be considered for the role. “I might need to throw my name in the Auburn hat. No, I’m joking. Don’t want the stress unless you want me to have it. Then I will consider it,” he said in a November 6 episode of the Behind The Mask podcast, all while trying to contain his laughter. However, on a serious note, Spikes has quite an impressive resume. ADVERTISEMENT He was at Auburn when it was a performing program and was part of the team that went to the 1997 SEC Championship. The former LB led the Tigers in tackles with 137 that season, earning consensus All-American honors. Spikes also had a prolific career in the NFL, with only one season featuring fewer than 70 tackles. However, after earning $46 million from his time in the league, he never felt the need to look into coaching. Takeo Spikes is pretty content as a podcast host and media figure. Like Spikes said, the Auburn job will come with debilitating stress. The Tigers have the players. Jackson Arnold was once a 5-star recruit. Jeremiah Cobb and Cam Coleman are also great RBs for the team. And yet, Freeze’s leadership couldn’t outsmart a team like Kentucky this season. Auburn has now cycled through two head coaches in just 5 years, and both have had a winning percentage of less than 50%. Freeze’s 2025 season is actually the third-worst in Auburn history. There’s very little to pitch to candidates the Tigers are hoping to replace Freeze with. ADVERTISEMENT And Auburn doesn’t have a track record of landing the candidates it wants. After firing Bryan Harsin, the program offered Lane Kiffin – the hottest name in today’s college football–the job, only for him to reject it. Even former Auburn assistants Will Muschamp and Jimbo Fisher were not keen on the position. Auburn will be casting its widest net ever after the Hugh Freeze era, since it won’t attract the big fish. Especially not someone productive like Kenny Dillingham. Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports ADVERTISEMENT Kenny Dillingham is in no mood to leave ASU for Auburn Rumors have surrounded many sitting head coaches who could replace Freeze, including Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham. However, he has informed his team that he will be staying in Tempe, according to a parent of a current ASU player. They told Sun Devil Source that Dillingham said, “He wasn’t going anywhere next year, and that it’s going to be business as usual,” in a team meeting. “I told our guys today, we live in a reality show… You better not get lost in the show; you better be who you are and be grounded,” Dillingham told PHNX Sun Devils. Dillingham was Auburn’s OC for the 2019 season and produced an excellent side for the Tigers. He helped develop star QB Bo Nix here. And, Dillingham’s offense brought in 33.2 points per game. The sheer growth in his career as an assistant saw him getting picked up by Arizona State as an HC. And Kenny Dillingham hasn’t looked back since then. He scripted history by taking ASU to its first Big 12 title in its debut in the conference. And he shook college football by breaking into the playoffs in 2024. Clearly, Dillingham is set to bring more success here, his literal home. ADVERTISEMENT
