The analysts could smell trouble for Hugh Freeze as early as April. Even when the 2025 season was months away from lifting the curtains. Back then, Connor O’Gara answered the question, “Who’s got more pressure? Brian Kelly or Hugh Freeze?” on The Next Round podcast. He dished out a reality check for the Auburn head coach, “Hugh Freeze, for his job.”

Last spring has been too much to handle for Freeze. His roster kept on thinning. When combining the winter window and the spring window of the transfer portal, the Tigers have lost 23 players. But the tables turned. Freeze is now giving that same feeling to his rival programs. After all, during this transfer season, he has been blessed with a glittery gem who had eyes of other major programs as well. And that’s none other than their Georgia Tech transfer wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. Even though he is now locked in Auburn, the programs that missed out on him are seeking answers to ‘what ifs.’

On the August 7th episode of the Cover 3 Podcast, Bud Elliot explored ‘Who is everybody envious of? Who’s everybody feeling a little jealous, after the transfer portal?’ Kudos to Freeze. As Elliot shared, “It’s Eric Singleton. Like, that’s talking to 20 guys. He was more than half of their answers. Like, GMs seemed to love him. And Auburn obviously paid the kid a fortune. And I think it’s very worth it. Like everybody acknowledges, like, ‘Yeah, that dude’s worth the money.’” Well, Singleton had been on the wishlist of multiple power programs like the LSU Tigers, Texas Longhorns, Miami Hurricanes, and Ole Miss Rebels. But Freeze was able to best them all. Then he dished out a fat check and brought him home. 

The young chap has kept the ceiling at $1 million in NIL. And those who missed the race are now regretting the loss, seeing him in Freeze’s squad. The analyst continued, “And one of the reasons why I liked him so much is they played like a murderous row of a schedule at Georgia Tech, and he like made a bunch of future NFL defensive backs look bad like consistently. So, worth the money there for sure with Eric Singleton.” An absolute jackpot for Freeze. In 2023, Singleton led all freshmen (true or redshirt) nationally with 64.2 receiving yards per game. 

During his two-year stint at Georgia Tech, he came up with 1,468 yards and nine touchdowns. This past season, Singleton caught 56 passes for 754 yards and three touchdowns. The wide receiver’s arrival pushes Freeze towards achieving his goal. In the five years before his arrival, Auburn’s highest ranking for passing offense was 59th. Now that other programs are envious of Freeze’s Singleton catch, the head coach knows that the gamble paid off.

How Hugh Freeze’s $1 million gamble is paying off 

After the transfer portal closed the doors, the analysts explored the question, “What was the hardest position to add to a roster?” No brownie points for guessing. It has to be the wide receivers in Freeze’s Auburn. After all, they paid three times what a top wide receiver got two or three years ago. As the ACC NIL collective noted, “And then Eric Singleton at Auburn is a number we’ve never seen.”

Freeze knew he had to lock in Singleton, who had already been giving away KeAndre Lambert-Smith vibes. Definitely, the Tigers’ wide receiver is not taller than Smith at 5’11”, but his athleticism makes him dangerous as a jump ball target. Looks like this recruiting move boosted Freeze’s confidence. Do you remember what he shared after the final spring practice? “I thought it would take three [classes] to really have the roster to where it rivals those of the elite in this conference. And that’s probably still accurate. But, I do feel optimistic that with the two we’ve had, we can compete, should compete this year,” the coach sounded confident during the press conference.

The fact that other programs are envious of Hugh Freeze for flexing Eric Singleton also means that the wide receiver is a threat to the others. But he is not the only one to spread fear on Freeze’s behalf. Someone chose to stir the pot, sending a warning across Auburn’s rivals about not taking the Tigers lightly. That’s their defensive lineman transfer Chris Murray. In an interview with Ty Haffner, he shared, “I love an underdog story. I love Coach DJ Durkin. He’s fired up that everyone doesn’t believe in us. I am just ready to attack and prove everybody wrong. Now we have every piece to do it. I love the family and atmosphere. I want the atmosphere to explode and be crazy. I’m ready for it. I want to live the underdog story and prove everybody wrong.” With all these weapons at his disposal, is Hugh Freeze still feeling the heat?