Where does Hugh Freeze stand in On3’s SEC head coach ‘pressure cooker’ rankings?

The second season of the Hugh Freeze era is upon us, and the Auburn Tigers are looking to improve upon its 6-7 campaign in 2023.

Freeze is in a better position to succeed ahead of his second season than his predecessor, Bryan Harsin , was entering his second season. Freeze is not a part of a coup to remove him from his position as head coach, and he is working hard to rebuild the program by bringing in top-notch talent and hiring the best coaching staff to develop the new pieces.

As the program appears to be trending upward, is there any chance that Freeze is on the hot seat ahead of the 2024 season? On3’s Jesse Simonton believes that Auburn fans should not worry.

Simonton recently dropped his SEC head coach “pressure cooker” rankings and has placed Freeze in the “medium” category. Simonton expects Auburn to trend upward this season with the addition of DJ Durkin , Charles Kelly , and Derrick Nix to the coaching staff.

Despite a frustratingly inconsistent 6-7 season in Year 1 that resulted in a major staff overhaul, the Tigers are encouraged by the direction of Freeze’s program entering the 2024 season. He’s continued to upgrade the roster with strong recruiting efforts and he has a better group of assistants with SEC experience now (Charles Kelly, Derrick Nix, D.J. Durkin), too.

It also helps matters that Nick Saban is no longer the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide . Simonton says that Auburn will need to take advantage in order to keep improving.

But with Saban now gone from Alabama, Auburn fans do not want to see their program take any step backwards. There’s also pressure on Freeze to prove he made the right call by sticking with Payton Thorne at quarterback.

Joining Freeze in the “medium” category are Georgia ‘s Kirby Smart, Kentucky ‘s Mark Stoops, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, and Tennessee ‘s Josh Heupel. Arkansas’ Sam Pittman is on the hottest seat heading into the season, with Florida ‘s Billy Napier next in line.

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