After just one season at Auburn, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Tigers are moving on from offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag]. The team announced the move Friday afternoon.
“I informed Philip today he would not be retained as our offensive coordinator,” Freeze said. “Philip is a good coach and a good man. Decisions like this are never easy, however, I decided this is best for our program moving forward. I’m appreciative of his efforts this past year and wish him nothing but the best.”
Freeze hired Montgomery in December to be his offensive coordinator and play caller after he spent the past eight seasons as Tulsa’s head coach. The move allowed Freeze to focus more on recruiting but as the offense struggled he became more involved in the process.
Auburn’s offense struggled with consistency throughout the 2023 season, ranking 11th in the SEC in points per game (26.2) and yards per play (5.5). The biggest struggles were through the air where the Tigers ranked last or second to last in the SEC in QBR (126.05), yards per attempt (6.7), yards per game (162.2) and touchdowns (18).
Auburn now has an opening at both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Freeze will have to decide if he wants to hire another play caller or take full contol of the offense himself and hire an assisstant coach to help.
Montgomery is the second coach that Freeze will have to replace from his first staff after cornerback coach Wesley McGriff moved to an off-the-field role during the season. McGriff has now moved on to Texas A&M and has been replaced by Charles Kelly.
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