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A few weeks after Auburn athletic director John Cohen compared Hugh Freeze's job to an unreliable car that he wasn't sure would start, the seemingly inevitable happened -- the Tigers fired Freeze. Ironically, Freeze's Auburn tenure actually ended as a slow-moving accident. Punt after punt after punt defined the Tigers' 10-3 home loss to Kentucky, the first time in 28 years the Tigers allowed 10 or fewer points and lost a game. The defeat dropped Freeze to 15-19 overall on The Plains. He ended his tenure 1-11 against ranked teams despite a top 13 roster in the sport, per the 247Sports Team Talent Composite. Auburn coaching candidates: Jimbo Fisher, James Franklin among options on hot board to replace Hugh Freeze Shehan Jeyarajah Unlike James Franklin and Brian Kelly before him, there was no real justification to keep Freeze. He came to Auburn sold as an offensive problem solver, a play-caller who could elevate offensive talent. Instead, the Tigers rank 118th nationally in yards per play despite a talented o-line, elite wide receivers and a handpicked portal QB who cost seven figures. Discussing Freeze's ills on The Plains would take a long time. He stubbornly stuck with Payton Thorne and Jackson Arnold, going all-in on portal QBs who doomed his tenure. The Tigers initially ignored Cam Ward -- Auburn was a month late to that 2023 portal sweepstakes -- and Freeze refused to reevaluate a collaborative play-calling approach that coaches across the country questioned behind the scenes. It's a dud of a three-year tenure for an Auburn program that lobbied the SEC to hire Freeze, someone who exited Ole Miss with such ignominy back in 2016 that Greg Sankey had to be consulted before the Tigers could take their swing for Liberty's head coach. Auburn's coaching search always promises to be a blockbuster with a heavy-handed booster class. But it's also worth wondering what could be next for Freeze. The 56-year-old is a controversial college football figure. But he is undoubtably successful with a career record of 98-62 in stops at Arkansas State, Ole Miss, Liberty and Auburn. But I'm skeptical there will be much of a market for Freeze the head coach moving forward, and it's also unclear if Freeze will want to coach again anytime soon. Freeze was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February and is currently undergoing treatment. Doctors caught it early and he opted against immediate surgery to have the mass removed. That's because the cancer was deemed low aggressive, per Freeze. He said back in the summer he planned to reevaluate his health in January. There was likely going to be industry speculation this season Freeze might step down from Auburn because of his health. So, it's reasonable to think Freeze may take some time off and focus on his recovery. He certainly doesn't mind having the time to play golf. As for a potential future in coaching, maybe Freeze could emerge as a candidate at a G-5 program. He found outsized success in past stints at Arkansas State and Liberty. But checking with industry sources, it's hard to see Freeze making an immediate return as a Power Four head coach. He won't have the cachet of Franklin or a Kelly, and his baggage is immense. If Freeze desired it, he could likely grab a play-caller job somewhere or stash himself away on a staff as an analyst. Freeze benefits from the flexibility of an around $15 million buyout without a duty to mitigate clause, which compels those like Franklin to find work right away to offset their buyout. Because of how his Ole Miss tenure concluded, Freeze is a singular college football figure. It seems unlikely he'd fully just fade into the background, but I'd also be really surprised if he emerged as a Power Four head coach again anytime soon. People tend to notice when a luxury car won't start.
