Auburn made loads of noise this offseason with another spectacular recruiting effort from Hugh Freeze. The third-year coach landed top transfer receiver Eric Singleton Jr. and upgraded at numerous other positions through the portal, and that was in addition to his second straight top-10 class via the high school ranks. Talent acquisition is just one half of the equation, though, and with two losing seasons under his belt, Freeze has not delivered the on-field success the Tigers faithful expect. Auburn Undercover’s Nathan King joined Bud Elliott on the Cover 3 College Football Summer School series to preview expectations for the Tigers this fall.
What are the stakes for Auburn in 2025?
The wins have yet to stack up for Freeze, but he earned himself some goodwill from the Auburn fanbase with his recruiting efforts in the absence of victories. After he debuted with the No. 10-ranked class (per 247Sports) in his first full cycle, Freeze followed up the outstanding haul with the nation’s No. 8-ranked class. Consecutive terrific years on the recruiting trail give the Tigers momentum entering 2025, but at some point, they have to win more than six games.
“This roster is in as good of a place as it’s been probably since 2019,” said King. “Very much a ‘show-me’ year for Hugh Freeze. I don’t think it’s a pressure-packed, hot seat type season. But it is a ‘no more excuses, put up or shut up’ kind of season for Hugh Freeze.”
Freeze holds a hot seat rating of 4.22 out of five in this year’s voting results from the CBS Sports team of college football experts. Externally, the pressure is on. That rating indicates that Freeze has to show some kind of improvement, otherwise Auburn may move on from him after Year 3.
Breakout player everybody needs to know
Edge rusher Amaris Williams arrived last season as a five-star recruit and the second-highest rated signee in Auburn’s outstanding class. The No. 30 overall prospect, who initially committed to Florida but flipped to sign with the Tigers, boasts eventual first-round pick upside and is an athletic monster who could be in line for a sophomore breakout.
“He admitted to us he was not in the right headspace last season,” King said of Williams. “It was a rocky offseason for him. He entered the portal, or at least he was set to enter the portal, and the coaching staff actually went to his house in North Carolina and convinced him to come back out. He is one of the most physically impressive players on a practice field I have ever seen. That sentence holds absolutely no weight when it comes to football games, but if he can start to put those things together…”
Williams did not stick in the lineup last season despite his immense potential. He played in 10 games and accumulated just six tackles. The upside was clear, though, in that two of those stops came behind the line of scrimmage, and he logged a half-sack against ULM. Auburn needs someone on the interior defensive line to step up this season, but if Williams rises to the occasion on the edge, he could help mask the deficiency at the tackle spot.
Win total outlook
FanDuel Sportsbook set the Auburn win total at 7.5 wins with juice on the over. A seven-win season would be the best of the Freeze era and the best, amazingly, since all the way back in 2019 when Gus Malzahn went 9-4. Eight wins? That might be enough to silence the doubters entirely.
“If you go 7-5 and there is a lot of proof of concept, and you continue recruiting at a top-five, top-10 level, I think that’s pretty good,” said King. “You don’t need to go 6-6. Let’s stop messing with that territory. 8-4, I don’t care how you get there, you’re good. Two thumbs up.”
The College Football Playoff would not be within reach if Auburn hangs around its projected win total, but if everything clicks with the Tigers’ transfer portal pickups — like quarterback Jackson Arnold — the program could find itself in the discussion deep into the campaign. The first half of the season should be a measuring stick as most of the Tigers’ toughest games come on the early end of SEC play. The season-opener against Baylor is a challenge, too.
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