Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is heading into his third season with the Tigers. In his first two seasons, his teams had limited success. They did not come away with a winning record in either season and did not even qualify for a bowl game this past year. However, there is hope that the Tigers can take a step forward in the competitive SEC next season.
In an episode of “The Paul Finebaum Show” this week, analyst Paul Finebaum spoke about Auburn’s upcoming season. The 70-year-old pointed out that he does not necessarily think it is likely that the Tigers take a step into the upper echelon of the SEC this season.
However, Finebaum also said that as long as they take a step forward into the middle of the conference and have a good recruiting year, it will be a successful season and help Hugh Freeze’s job security.
“There’s concern, I say this, Freeze can prove a lot of people wrong here in a couple of weeks,” Finebaum said. “The one thing that Freeze needs, though, is not critical to this year because the players aren’t available this year, but what he needs is momentum. Because if he has a tweener season, something like 7-5 or 8-4, and you think it’s progress but you aren’t sure, you can preserve your security with a great big time recruiting year.”
Despite the comments from Finebaum, there are still some people who believe the Auburn Tigers are an underrated pick to finish near or at the top of the SEC this season. It wll be interesting to see whether they can be competitive in the upcoming season.
Hugh Freeze Is Excited for Increased Expectations This Season
While Paul Finebaum and other analysts have started to doubt whether the Auburn Tigers can be successful next season, Hugh Freeze is excited about the increased expectations. There are some doubters, but the Auburn fan base certainly expects improved results next season.
At the SEC media days earlier this month, Freeze spoke about his excitement for the coming season.
“I’m glad I’m at a place that has those expectations,” Hugh Freeze said. “I think when you’ve done this a while, you really don’t give into a lot of the pressure stuff.”
One of the keys for the Tigers this season will be the play of Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold. If he can provide stability to the Tigers’ offense, they have a chance to compete with some of the top teams in the SEC.
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