Hugh Freeze will look to 'make the jump' in year two

Auburn football’s 2023 season could be compared to a roller coaster, with several moments of hope for a brighter future and moments of despair mixed in.

The second season of the Hugh Freeze era will commence in a few weeks, and Auburn fans are hoping for the Tigers to take a step forward in 2024. Freeze has worked tirelessly this offseason by recruiting the best talent and adding experienced coaches to his staff to get Auburn out of its six-win funk.

Chip Patterson of CBS Sports recently released his picks for head coaches who are entering “defining campaigns” in year two, including Freeze. Freeze fits into the category titled “looking to make a jump.” Due to Auburn’s near-wins against Georgia and Alabama, Patterson looks for Freeze to lead Auburn to more notable wins in 2024.

The return of Freeze to the SEC brought the same kind of competitiveness against the best teams that we remember from his time at Ole Miss. Auburn was within seven points of Georgia, seven points of Ole Miss and three points of Alabama in 2023, and in all of those games (which were all at home) fans could see that it shouldn’t take long to flip those close defeats into victories. Unfortunately, Auburn also lost to New Mexico State at home and registered just one win against a bowl team on the season. There is no panic about the future, but certainly some urgency to see if the Tigers can make a jump in 2024.

Now that the SEC has cut divisions out of its scheduling format, Auburn has a better chance to win more critical games. The Tigers will still face rivals Alabama and Georgia this season, but will also play more even keeled teams such as Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Missouri as opposed to playing LSU and Ole Miss.

Can Freeze lift Auburn to more than six wins for the first time since 2019 this season?

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