Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers found themselves in the wrong end of the tunnel mid-season. The expectation for Freeze in the big 2025 was to make the playoffs or finish somewhere close to it. Fast forward to week 7, and the Tigers are technically out of contention after losing three games in a row. Naturally, speculation about Freeze’s hot seat grew. Auburn AD John Cohen offered a pointed analogy about Freeze’s career at Auburn, making his feelings about the coach’s future clear with a three-word verdict.

On October 13th, Auburn Tigers AD John Cohen sat down for an interview with AL.com and shared a unique perspective on Hugh Freeze’s future after losing 20-10 to Kirby Smart’s Georgia over the weekend. Cohen expects Hugh Freeze to return for the 2026 season, but the man’s all about a “never say never” mindset when it comes to a potential coaching change for the Tigers. “I don’t know if I’m going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not. I think it is, but if my car doesn’t start enough, then I will evaluate that and make decisions about my car. But that’s not my expectation at this point about our football program,” Cohen said. That’s one way to put it.

Cohen is basically comparing the situation with Hugh Freeze and the Auburn football program to a car. He’s saying he can’t be 100% sure how things will go—especially with Freeze on the hot seat after a 3-3 start and three straight losses—but he expects the program to stay on track. If things keep going poorly, he’ll reevaluate and make a move, but for now, he’s not planning any drastic changes. It’s his way of saying he’s watching Freeze’s situation closely without panicking.

Hugh Freeze doubled down and explained that his first thought is always about winning. “My first thought isn’t about what’s next. My first thought is about, ‘Hey, is our expectation to win?’” Cohen said. He stressed that as long as the team is striving to meet that expectation, he will continue evaluating and moving forward rather than rushing to make a change. By the looks of it, Hugh Freeeze is far away from winning. The man is 14-17 in two and a half seasons.

The only good thing that came through Hugh Freeze was back-to-back top 10 recruiting classes, and you’ve got to give him props for that. He’s the only head coach in the last 50 years to return for a third season after having back-to-back losing seasons. The Auburn Tigers and John Cohen would definitely take that into consideration before making a decision about Hugh Freeze’s future.

Cohen also shared the main factors he considers when evaluating a coach. He looks at whether the players are still buying in, whether the right types of athletes are being recruited from high school, junior college, and the transfer portal, whether the players are improving, and if they are giving their best effort.

Hugh Freeze weighs in on switching out Jackson Arnold under center

Auburn struggled in the second half against Georgia on Saturday, getting shut out after starting the game with a 10-0 lead. Jackson Arnold scored the team’s only touchdown but was limited to just 30 passing yards in the second half, finishing with 137 yards overall. Hugh Freeze expressed frustration over Arnold’s inconsistency: “When you look at the first half, you’re in love with what you see. When you look at parts of the second half, you question, why not the same throws? Why not the same accuracy? So all of that is certainly worth looking at.”

Despite his passing struggles, Arnold led the Tigers in rushing with 13 carries for 55 yards, including the first-half touchdown. Freeze confirmed that Arnold will remain Auburn’s starting QB for now, though five-star freshman Deuce Knight is waiting for his opportunity. Freeze noted that while other players are getting reps, Arnold is the plan moving forward, and the hope is that he can replicate his strong first-half performance over the full game.

Auburn will face No. 16 Missouri next, and a loss there would put them at 0-4 in the SEC, increasing the pressure to consider a quarterback change if the team wants to stay on track for bowl eligibility.