Mike Farrell, who is known famously as “the Godfather of College Football Recruiting”, has been an advocate for Auburn’s hiring of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] since the moment that Bryan Harsin was relieved of his duties last October.
He has also been very complimentary of Freeze’s transfer portal haul, calling it “the best class in the SEC.”
Does Farrell’s praise of Auburn’s hire, plus the approval of Auburn’s transfer portal class translate to a favorable win forecast for the 2023 season? That, unfortunately, is not the case.
In a recent installment of his series titled Fact or Fiction, Farrell shared his take on Freeze’s chances of winning eight games in his first year at Auburn. Sure, many things have changed around Auburn, but the SEC slate will continue to be as challenging as it ever has been.
That’s likely the bar set by many boosters at Auburn, who are well known for their impatience, but it’s too high. And before Auburn fans say 6-6 or 7-5 is fine, I’ll agree with you, but I know expectations are higher than that. UMass, Samford, Vandy, Cal, and New Mexico State are all likely wins, but finding three more is hard. Maybe A&M on the road? Maybe Mississippi State at home? Arkansas on the road? Perhaps but all three are unlikely to me. I see a 6-6 season with a strong run game, an average passing attack with Payton Thorne, and a solid defense. But it’s not an easy SEC schedule at all.
His prediction of an “average passing attack with [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]” is nothing new. In an earlier installment of the series, Farrell said that Thorne would struggle at Auburn after throwing more than 10 interceptions over the last two seasons at Michigan State.
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