The Auburn Tigers have been struggling on the recruitment front lately, but head coach Hugh Freeze has been out there golfing. This did not sit well with many, as several football personalities poked fun at him playing golf, including Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
Arch Manning was at the SEC Media Days in Texas earlier this week, and per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports, the Manning family scion touched on the Hugh Freeze golfing situation and revealed his handicap, which is around 13.
Since there’s lots of golf talk here at SEC media days this year, Arch Manning says his handicap is around a 13.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 15, 2025
Manning is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy this year, with the Longhorns being one of the favorites to win a national title as well. As a member of the Manning family, who also play a lot of golf in their off time, it would be no surprise if Arch likes to swing clubs around as well.
It is not just Arch Manning who is poking fun at Freeze’s frequent golfing, but also his fellow coaches. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin took to social media to take a swing at his fellow coach as he shared a post from Freeze from way back in May.
Great job Coach!! Game is on 🔥 https://t.co/EluxmXfkZc
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) July 7, 2025
Auburn currently sits at No. 86 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings with the Class of 2026, and this also means that the Tigers are in last place in the SEC recruitment rankings. As this is happening, the criticisms of Freeze have only increased, especially from Auburn fans.
Hugh Freeze Addresses Backlash on His Golfing Amid Auburn Recruitment Woes
With Auburn lagging behind its SEC counterparts in the 2026 recruiting front, Hugh Freeze finally broke his silence earlier this week and addressed the situation. He admitted that he does love playing golf, but pushed back as he has never missed a camp day or recruiting day, adding that he is focusing on getting Auburn some wins.
“You know, everybody seems to like to talk about my golf game,” he said in a statement. “… I do love golf. I enjoy playing, but what people don’t realize is, you know, I assure you that I never missed a camp day or a recruiting day, but if camp got over at three o’clock one day, and Jill and I go out at 4:30, we absolutely might do that. And I’m not apologizing for that part of it. But my focus is 100% on getting Auburn in that win column this fall.”
Auburn has been hit by several big transfer window losses, including Shadarius Toodle to Georgia, Devin Carter to FSU, and Denairius Gray to Kentucky. This, along with the school’s recruiting woes, has called Freeze’s commitment to his job into question.
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