Auburn’s head coach, Hugh Freeze, came into the 2025 season with the hopes of redemption and finally achieving those 10 wins. It was going all well with an 8th-ranked 2025 class with Jackson Arnold and Eric Singleton pairing up, making the season exciting. But on March 25th, this year, Freeze came with a shocking announcement during Auburn’s first spring practice. “I struggle believing that I actually have cancer because I feel great,” said Hugh Freeze, showing sheer resilience in the moment of adversity. Now, 4 months later, Hugh Freeze has incredible help from his wife in fighting the battle.

After Hugh Freeze announced the cancer update in March, many were expecting that the head coach might be taking a sabbatical from coaching to focus on his recovery. For anyone else, it would have been a natural course of action. But Hugh Freeze? After getting a final diagnosis in April, the head coach showed intent to continue his coaching job.

According to Hugh Freeze in his interview with ESPN’s Chris Low, his cancer was “low aggressive,” and after consulting with doctors, the head coach planned to postpone any surgery until January 2026. “In consultation with the doctors that we’re dealing with, they think that if mentally I can handle waking up at night knowing you have something in you that you don’t want in you, they don’t feel like I have to be in a hurry to do something,” said Hugh Freeze. And now, it seems Hugh Freeze is recovering well, thanks to the help from his wife, as he said in a recent press briefing.

“I don’t feel sick. And so, my wife’s got me taking all kinds of natural things that, supposedly, may cure prostate cancer. And we hope it does. We’ll recheck it in January and see where things are. But other than an old back, you know, I feel great,” said Hugh Freeze. Moreover, the head coach also stressed the fact that he “felt great” and in terms of energy, he was feeling “good.”

Earlier, too, Hugh Freeze had shown incredible grit and resiliency in recovering from an emergency surgery in August 2019. At the time, it was a life-threatening staph infection that entered his bloodstream. Even in that situation, the HC coached from the press box at Liberty and also made a swift recovery. Taking all things into consideration, it seems Hugh Freeze’s journey towards battling cancer will be swift and successful. And that’s exactly what the head coach echoed, too.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze dismisses rumors of diverted attention due to the cancer diagnosis

Hugh Freeze came to Auburn in the 2023 season and led the program to a 6-7 season. It was a season where the team finished with 6 wins and made it to a bowl game. Then, in the subsequent year, the head coach, despite high expectations, failed to come out with a winning season, losing easy games like Vanderbilt and Missouri. But now, with the cancer diagnosis, there are concerns about the head coach giving all his focus to football. However, Hugh Freeze has dismissed all speculations concerning his health.

“I feel great. Sometimes it gets a little tight, but I’ve had, you know, I had that deal at Liberty where I had the infection get in, and I’m always gonna have some arthritis there, but my energy is good. I feel great and excited about camp,” said Hugh Freeze about his health. Now, with the head coach’s update, it seems Auburn is looking to make the final step in the 2025 season. And in terms of scheduling? They can surely do that, too.

Auburn will face Baylor in its first game on the road, which could pose some problems considering Dave Aranda is probably on a hot seat now. Apart from Baylor, the team will face Oklahoma on the road, Texas A&M, and Georgia consecutively. These three games have the potential to determine Auburn’s success, and apart from these games, only the Alabama game might pose some problems for the team.