After falling to a 15-19 record, Auburn’s letting go of Hugh Freeze didn’t come as a shocker. But one factor that ultimately sealed his fate was not getting the QB position right. Despite clear warning signs from former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville, who advised Freeze about Payton Thorne’s inconsistencies and urged him to get a $1.9 million SEC transfer QB in 2024. Yet true to his form, Freeze ignored and doubled down on Thorne and ended up in a big mess.

As per Tuberville’s plea, Diego Pavia was the answer for all Auburn’s problems, and looking at Vanderbilt’s rise, that feels evident now. Even a source confirmed this narrative to John Talty of CBS Sports as they dropped the shocker on IG: “They legitimately thought Thorne was the answer, and they were wrong.” Pavia is the reason behind Vandy’s 7-1 season this year and their massive win against Alabama last season. He put them back in the spotlight after literally being the last team in the SEC for years.

Whereas Payton Thorne, who came in from Michigan State in 2023 with a strong 2021 season, passing for 3,232 yards with 27 touchdowns, ended up getting worse. As his performance declined to 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions by the time he came to Auburn. The reason? Without players like Kenneth Walker and Jalen Nailor, Thorne couldn’t do much on the field.

The same inconsistency followed him in Auburn as they went 6-6 in Year 1 with Thorne, who threw for 1,755 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Despite that, Hugh Freeze went in for a 2nd season with him, as he thought getting more players around him would lift up his game. Just like Michigan State did in 2021. So, he went on the portal and got Penn State’s receiver, Keandre Lambert-Smith. Despite that, they went 5-7.

And the plea didn’t just stop at Diego Pavia; many coaches and personal staffers pushed Hugh Freeze to get Washington State transfer Cam Ward. The main issue was Auburn’s QB coach, Kent Austin’s disbelief in him. They even thought that bringing in an experienced transfer player might upset their young QB room, which had four-star freshman Walker White and redshirt freshman Hank Brown. After a lot of buzz, they did reach Ward, but it was too late, as he was in Miami at that time. This guy went no. 1 overall in this year’s NFL draft.

That’s exactly what Tuberville warned him about: “You’re a dead man if you don’t have a quarterback.” And no wonder that was the case. After going in for a few games last season, Hugh Freeze realized his mistake of not letting in a transfer QB before going in for a home game against Oklahoma last year. But it was too late for regrets by then.

Even with Jackson Arnold, things didn’t go as planned. Despite his controversial benching and inconsistent run with Oklahoma, Hugh Freeze got him in when they needed a comeback so badly. “He went wrong with the quarterback,” said a Power 4 personnel source. “He f—– that up. They’ve got a really good defense. You can’t argue with their wide receiver group. Obviously, they’re not doing anything, but they’re not doing anything because they had nobody to get them the football.”  Now, with all those inconsistencies, Freeze’s tenure ended with Auburn, and now Paul Finebaum is coming up with possible replacements.

Paul Finebaum gets real on Hugh Freeze replacement

Losing against Kentucky worked as the last nail in the coffin for Hugh Freeze as his SEC record dropped to 6-16, and Auburn finally cut ties with him. But now, AD John Cohen and the entire program are looking for a guy who can actually rebuild them into SEC giants.

Several names kept popping up, from James Franklin to Jimbo Fisher and Eli Drinkwitz. Each of them comes in with years of experience and success in the field. But for Paul Finebaum, the Tigers need more of a cultural fit HC than a big-name one. That’s exactly why he is urging Auburn to look behind the usual names. “I think Auburn is a little bit more unique,” Finebaum said.  “I don’t think you can just go to ChatGPT and type in what you want. I think you have to find someone who can relate to that school and the fanbase and the family. That’s where I would go. I wouldn’t just try to hire the hot name. I would try to hire someone who has experience, great ability, but mostly potential.”

And according to Finebaum, Tulane’s head coach, Jon Sumrall, is a perfect fit for Auburn’s culture and needs. “The name I think is most intriguing is Jon Sumrall,” he said. “He’s hard-nosed. He’ll remind some people of Pat Dye, which is never a bad way to go if you’re trying to identify who the next Auburn football coach should be.”

Look, Sumrall’s impressive resume in a short dose grabs eyes. After going 23-4 in two seasons with Troy, he took the reins at Tulane last year, and since then he is 15-7. Despite losing against teams like UTSA and Ole Miss, he sits at 6-2. So, it will be interesting to see how he shapes the Tigers if he gets into the team. Till then, let’s see how Auburn will go up against Vandy under interim HC D. J. Durkin.