Auburn’s attack has been a mess this season. The offense has sputtered in every possible way, leaving the Tigers staring down an 0-4 start in SEC play and a lot of questions about whether Jackson Arnold is still the guy to lead them forward. Hugh Freeze is clearly preparing for change. Last week itself, he’s made it clear that backup Ashton Daniels won’t be redshirted; Freeze has him ready for action the moment the situation calls for it.

In Monday’s press conference, Freeze confirmed that both Arnold and backup Ashton Daniels will be evaluated moving forward. “We’re going to get he and Ashton a lot of reps and kind of see where it goes from there,” said Freeze. He also stated that Daniels will more reps than usual. “if we’re struggling to create positive vibes offensively because of QB play, we wouldn’t hesitate to try Ashton. I believe in him strongly.” However, it’s not a full-on benching. But it’s definitely a warning shot. Freeze wants to see who can truly take command before making any big declarations. Now, while the leash is tightening on Jackson Arnold, the offensive flaws can’t be overlooked.

Auburn’s passing game has been alarmingly ineffective. Whether it’s an offensive line that can’t hold its blocks. At times, Jackson Arnold has had moments to work with, yet too often he’s been swallowed by pressure or fails to capitalize when protection actually holds. Despite completing 18 of 30 passes for 207 yards against Missouri, Arnold converted only one third down from nine yards or more. And then after throwing his first interception of the season and taking five sacks, the offense never truly recovered. Auburn’s offense stalled late, mustering only 35 yards in the final 3 minutes of regulation and overtime. Then, when extra time arrived, things got even worse. The Tigers lost 5 yards across both OT periods.

But Hugh Freeze didn’t hold back in defending the offensive approach. “I think we’re calling things he (Jackson Arnold) feels really good about. There are times, probably on third-and-long where nobody feels real comfortable about some of those,” said the Auburn HC. Now, while Arnold’s 1,190 yards and five TDs reflect his potential despite the struggles, Daniels is also a proven weapon.

The backup QB transferred to Auburn after 3 seasons at Stanford racked up 3,986 yards passing and 21 TDs. Here, Freeze admitted the original plan was to redshirt the Stanford transfer. “Not anymore,” stated Freeze. “We’re going to play to win with him. He’s prepared to play the last few.” Now, while it’s still up in the air who will start against Arkansas, Hugh Freeze’s job security is also uncertain.

Hugh Freeze waits for support

With an 0-4 SEC start and his future seemingly on the line, Auburn HC Hugh Freeze said a thumbs-up from AD John Cohen would be a big boost. “It would be huge. That would make everyone feel a lot better, for sure,” he said. “John has been supportive ever since I got here. I know how close we are. I know I can get this fixed.” But the pressure only intensified when other ADs publicly weighed in on their HCs.

FSU’s Michael Alford and Wisconsin’s Chris McIntosh didn’t hide their frustration with their teams’ struggles this season. Still, both made it clear they support their HCs. So, Mike Norvell and Luke Fickell’s futures remain firm at least for now. But Freeze didn’t get any public support from AD yet. Still, Freeze is optimistic.

He trusts Cohen to make the right call. “I’ve trusted John since I’ve been here to do the right things, and he’s got to do what he feels is best for this program,” mentioned Freeze. “I think it’s us. We fit Auburn, we fit the Auburn culture. The culture in the building has changed, the talent level has changed. Unfortunately, we just haven’t gotten over the hump in a very difficult stretch of games, but I believe that’s coming very, very soon.”

Since taking over in late 2022, hired by Cohen, Freeze has struggled to find his footing at Auburn. He’s 14-18 overall and hasn’t cracked more than six wins in a season. And that’s a far cry from his time at Ole Miss, Arkansas State, and Liberty, where 7 win seasons were the norm. Looks like this season, the schedule hasn’t helped. Surely, Auburn opened 3-0, but already failed against Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Georgia. Now, as Auburn prepares to face Arkansas, another loss could put a full stop on the head coach’s job.