With Week 8 of college football in the books, one of the sport’s powerhouse programs still can’t seem to find its rhythm. The once-mighty Auburn Tigers continue to stumble under Hugh Freeze, leaving fans frustrated. These tensions from the field have now extended beyond the gridiron, with five-star recruit Bralan Womack finding himself caught in the crossfire after comments about Freeze took on a life on the internet.

At the Plains against the No. 16 Missouri Tigers, Auburn suffered a gut-wrenching 23-17 defeat. Freeze’s squad seemed in control as they came back to take a 14-10 lead in the third quarter. But towards the end, Auburn once again failed to build on its advantage and allowed Missouri to pull off another thrilling victory. This disappointing performance triggered their star recruit, Bralan Womack, to call out Hugh Freeze and his offense for slacking through the season.

Looking back at the game, Womack was right as the Auburn offense scored only one touchdown after halftime. Further, the Tigers also failed to build on their 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter, which allowed Missouri to force overtime and secure the win. After facing a wave of criticism for his remarks, the Hartfield Academy safety took to social media to clarify his stance.

Bralan Womack expressed that he never intended to disparage his coach and the team. His comments came from a place of passion as he sees a lot of potential in this Auburn side. The 18-year-old further shared that he will support the Tigers through highs and lows, but will expect nothing short of excellence from himself and his team.

Here’s Bralan Womack’s statement

But as this situation may feel under control, it doesn’t hide the fact that coach Hugh Freeze isn’t under any pressure. The third-year Auburn coach has a 14-18 overall record with the Tigers on the verge of missing a bowl for the second year in a row. Similarly, with a 3-4 start this year, Freeze’s future hinges on how the next few weeks unfold.

Is Hugh Freeze the next head coach to be fired?

After the Florida Gators fired Billy Napier, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze seems to be the next head coach on the hot seat. The 56-year-old has had a disappointing 2025 season with four consecutive losses against SEC teams. These results, coupled with his poor play-calling this year, have been the biggest issues for the Tigers.

Hence, if Freeze doesn’t manage to turn things around, his time might be up sooner rather than later. As reported by On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos, “Auburn boosters have begun having informal conversations in the last week to discuss Hugh Freeze’s future. The Tigers are now 0-4 to open SEC play, but the schedule lightens up from here…”

The report further highlights how Hugh Freeze’s roughly $15 million is “manageable.” Nevertheless, there is speculation that Freeze may continue until the end of the season.

After coming in as a promising head coach at Ole Miss, who defeated Nick Saban twice, Freeze seemed like the right man to turn things around in the Plains. But with Auburn continuing with a losing record throughout his tenure, it seems Freeze will be paid $15 million to leave.