Second-year head coach Hugh Freeze hopes to lead the Auburn Tigers to their first winning season since 2020 in the ultra-competitive SEC. Before his appearance at SEC Media Days, we touched on key points we hoped to learn from him this week.
In front of a packed house in Dallas, Coach Freeze discussed various topics surrounding the Auburn football program and addressed some critical issues as the rebuild at Auburn continues. So, what are the three biggest takeaways from the time Freeze spent at his SEC Media Days session?
3 Takeaways From Hugh Freeze at SEC Media Days
1) Freeze Believes Better Weapons Equals a Better Payton Thorne
One thing a Freeze-led football team is not used to is struggling on offense. But that was precisely the case for the 2023 Tigers. Auburn finished the 2023 campaign with the worst passing offense in the SEC, averaging 162.2 yards per game.
The majority of that starts with Michigan State transfer QB Payton Thorne. Many thought Freeze might go out and get a quarterback in the transfer portal to challenge Thorne for the starting job. Instead, Freeze has decided to build around Thorne.
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During his SEC Media Days, Freeze touched on the lack of offensive cohesion that stemmed from Thorne’s lack of pass-catching threats. “I felt like we could put some pieces around Thorne that would allow him to reach his potential. I’ve seen it on film…he knows that he has to produce. We don’t run from that.”
Freeze highlighted freshman Cam Coleman, an electric pass catcher for the Tigers who turned heads this Spring. He also stated that Thorne and Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith also seem to have made a connection.
“I think that’s the biggest difference right now in Payton. … He senses there’s a comfortableness and chemistry in that offensive room that has bred a confidence in him,” Freeze said.
Freeze touched on Thorne’s past success at Michigan State in the Big Ten as to why he has confidence in his starting quarterback. “I think he was really, really solid in another Power Five conference. I think he’s proven he can use his feet to move the chains when we need to. … I think the combination of those two things (talent upgrades and coaching changes) is going to provide him the tools to have a successful year.”
2) Freeze is Focused on Winning Local Recruiting Battles to Build From Within
As everyone in the college football world knows, recruiting in the SEC is absolutely cutthroat. But it may be the most vicious in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
Since Freeze took over the helm at Auburn, one of the biggest criticisms of the second-year head coach has been his inability to succeed in keeping Alabama players around Auburn at their home school.
Two years ago, the state of Alabama had 33 signable ranked players: 22 four-stars and six five-stars. Auburn got three of them. Just three.
In this current recruiting cycle, Auburn has already signed three of the state’s top six high school players, so they are improving. Freeze was open and honest during his SEC Media Days session about his philosophy on recruiting close to home.
“I have been very vocal of how I want to build the program, and it starts with high school recruiting in your home state and border states. And I’m not big on getting on a plane and flying across the nation, and listen, I could be wrong”, Freeze explained.
He continued explaining his desire to build the Auburn football program with predominantly local players. “I’m not certainly saying I have the blueprint to do it. But I would love to build it from our border states and start at home with high school kids. And hopefully, I can talk them into staying with us and being developed.”
Freeze also referenced his philosophy of not relying too heavily on the transfer portal, believing he can mold and build players from within the program to be a better fit.
“I’ll be the first to admit I’m probably not the best portal recruiter that there is,” Freeze said. “I don’t know. I like developing players.”
3) Freeze Gushes About Auburn’s Running Back Room.
Aside from adding talented pass catchers to help Thorne improve the Tiger passing game in 2024, the ability to run the football and force defenses to think about stacking the box is a big way to open things up for their quarterback.
The Tigers enter 2024 with a talented roster of running backs, including Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, and Jeremiah Cobb. Hunter led the group last season with 909 yards and seven touchdowns.
Alston contributed 320 yards and two touchdowns, while Cobb, as a true freshman, added 172 yards and two scores. Coach Freeze was excited to address his running back room and talked about the versatility and character that makes the room unique.
“I love our running back room,” Freeze explained. “I’m fine with no one talking about them. I really am, but Jarquez, Damari, and Cobb, I think, are really, really good backs.”
Freeze then explained how fortunate he feels to coach at a school with such a storied history and a promising future when asked about their ability to run the football in 2023 despite the lack of a legitimate passing game.
“That gave me more confidence that Auburn can return to being Auburn,” Freeze said. “There’s only six schools, and y’all correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure since 2010 that have won a national championship and played for one. Only six. And I get to coach at one of those six.”
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