The hype surrounding Auburn football with Hugh Freeze is gigantic, particularly this year. Following an ugly 2024 season with a 5-7 record and no bowl game, things have been a little shaky for the Tigers. But Freeze isn’t idling, though. He’s been doubling down on leadership and development. Consider Connor Lew, for instance—who has been grinding in 23 games for Freeze and is now emerging as a top leader on the offensive line, a key component for protecting the quarterback and creating openings. Talking about protecting the QB, Jackson Arnold. The Oklahoma transfer QB has been the target of Freeze’s confidence and plans.

Arnold came in as a five-star signee with sky-high expectations but experienced a rollercoaster ride at Oklahoma, losing his starting job early in the 2024 season. At OU in his final season, he played in 10 games and passed for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns with just three picks while rushing for 444 yards and three touchdowns. The grumbling from the Auburn faithful is getting louder, especially with the Tigers’ 2025 team regarded by them as their best since 2019, teeming with talent and a top-10 signing class. The expectation is not just improvement—it’s a return to relevance, maybe even a shot at the expanded College Football Playoff. But Freeze hasn’t helped himself by placing blame for recent woes on previous recruiting classes, even though Auburn had a couple of top-25 recruiting classes before his arrival.

Josh Pate, on the May 21 episode of his show, discussed the recruitment history of Auburn. “I think this era of college football affords you the ability to totally overturn a roster and reinvent a program in a 36-month period, which could be faster if you were left with a better roster, but he wasn’t, so it was going to take three years,” states Pate.

When the Tigers hired Freeze in November 2022, they were hoping for a turnaround. Similar to what he did at Liberty. However, a head coach is nothing without the roster. In his first season, Auburn had an No. 18 recruiting class in college football with no five-star commits. You wouldn’t believe that this was an improvement on their No. 21 position in the 2022 class. Again, no five stars. You can argue that Auburn’s top 10 finishes in 2024 and 2025 have a lot to do with Hugh Freeze. However, the results on the recruiting front may not translate on the field in the same season. You don’t expect freshmen to transform your fate. They do it in their second and third years, and this is that year.

Freeze can move from ‘hot seat’ to ‘most popular coach on campus’ faster than you can say ‘War Eagle’—but only if he starts winning. Pate says, “Hugh Freeze has still got an opportunity to be one of like the most universally beloved coaches by his own fan base in that entire league got to get it done this year.” Right now, Auburn fans are split. There are cynics, optimists, and many who are simply anxious for the magic to finally happen. But Pate points out that Auburn is the kind of place where, if you win—and win handily—the fan base will flat-out rally behind you. It’s not entirely an X’s and O’s thing, either.

The quarterback Auburn fans have been waiting for?

Auburn fans have not had this much optimism in years, riding on a quarterback. “Jackson Arnold’s going to pan out at quarterback, I’ll tell you that they’re going to be in contention for the SEC championship. If you were to tell me that, I know that’s a big statement, but the fan base believes that I kind of believe that, but I’m not the one getting pulled here, the fan base is.” If Jackson Arnold works out at quarterback, Auburn’s not merely back—they’re in the thick of the SEC championship hunt. Pate admits he is starting to think it’s possible, despite the fan base’s optimism.

Last year at Oklahoma, Arnold faced a far-from-smooth journey—coaches benched him following a tough game against Tennessee, only for him to fight back and finish the season strong. Now, at Auburn, Arnold finds himself surrounded by guns and a staff that believes in him. Hugh Freeze built his system to accommodate a quarterback like Arnold, and both the coach and QB have suggested the fit is organic. The early word from spring practice is that Arnold’s confidence is back, his arm is live, and he’s on the same page with the receivers. That’s the kind of energy that turns preseason hope into real momentum.

But the SEC has no patience, and Arnold had to demonstrate he could be a part of the weekly grind. If he can—if he’s the one who can make the throws, make the plays, and remain calm when it counts—Auburn’s ceiling is through the roof. Suddenly, you’re not discussing bowl eligibility; you’re discussing Atlanta in December and perhaps a playoff berth.