Hugh Freeze – Syndication Server

Auburn Tigers HC Hugh Freeze praises Texas A&M’s roster

Hugh Freeze knows planning for Texas A&M is difficult task at home or not

The one thing Texas A&M has not lacked is talent over the last decade, but it has not also translated well onto the field. This 2024 football team under Mike Elko is showing signs of growth in his first season which usually takes longer when dealing with a team with so many new faces.

There are still a few hiccups, but the team has looked like a top-25 team even while learning a new system on both sides of the ball. Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze acknowledged during the SEC Teleconference that A&M has a roster full of athletic players making it one of the best in the conference.

“It’s a complete SEC roster. I don’t see any weaknesses. It rivals those from my previous stints here and the two years I’ve been back in the league. This roster rivals some of the best I’ve seen in the league.”

When talking about the defense specifically he was right to the point about what issues they present with physical traits alone.

“They’re long. They’re big. They’re quick-twitch. And their scheme is really good. They’re really tough to prepare for.”

However, just like in South Carolina, playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium at night can be intimidating for any team and when the crowd gets rocking it can be heard for miles away. Auburn wants to play spoiler for Texas A&M as a slip of the tongue has the internet wondering if the Aggies are looking pass the Tigers.

The Texas A&M vs. Auburn game starts at 6:30 pm CST and can be seen on ESPN.

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Hugh Freeze shares update on Payton Thorne’s status ahead of ULM game

Will Thorne lead the offense on Saturday when the Tigers battle the ULM Warhawks?

Will Auburn be without its signal-caller for its game with ULM on Saturday?

During this week’s preview press conference on Monday, Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] shared that quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] was limited during bye week practices due to shoulder issues stemming from the Tigers’ loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 2.

Freeze was hopeful earlier this week that Thorne would be ready to play, but his tune changed Wednesday during the SEC teleconference saying that Thorne was “not as far along as I’d hoped.” However, a report from Auburn Undercover revealed that Thorne will get the nod for Auburn’s game against ULM on Saturday.

Freeze said Auburn’s backup quarterbacks got plenty of reps during bye-week practices in place of Thorne, giving Freeze several options to fill the void should Thorne’s shoulder issues blend into the ULM game.

“The second open week we actually got the other guys quite a bit of reps in the three practices we had. Then we had a little scrimmage to close it out,” Freeze said. “Offense versus defense, other guys that don’t typically get reps, and offense won that scrimmage on a pass play from Walker (White) to one of the young receivers. It was good to see them get reps. We got Holden (Geriner) and Hank (Brown) quite a few also.”

Thorne ranks No. 8 among SEC quarterbacks with 1,825 yards and is tied for 6th with 13 touchdowns. Two other quarterbacks have seen action this season, [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. Brown started two games for the Tigers this season while Geriner has seen action in two games.

Auburn faces ULM at 11:45 a.m. CT on Saturday and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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Auburn flips 2025 CB Shamar Arnoux from USC

The Carrollton, Georgia native had been committed to join the Trojans in Los Angeles since early summer.

Four-star cornerback [autotag]Shamar Arnoux[/autotag] flipped his commitment from USC to Auburn on Thursday. The Carrollton, Georgia native had been committed to joining the Trojans in Los Angeles since early summer.

A consensus top 40 cornerback in the 2025 class, the 6-2, 175-pound defensive back is the ideal replacement for the recently flipped [autotag]Dante Core[/autotag], who [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] lost to Ole Miss earlier this week. Although Arnoux had been committed to USC since June, Hugh Freeze and his staff continued trying to flip him throughout the late summer and fall.

He was recently on campus for Auburn’s home loss to Vanderbilt, and although the Tigers lost, he may have seen some of the optimistic signs on the defensive side of the ball that fellow four-star recruit Jared Smith saw. Arnoux’s commitment to the Tigers brings Auburn’s number of cornerbacks set to join the team next season up to four.

Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class now sits at 28 players heading into National Signing Day next month. With the possibility of more commitments and flips, Hugh Freeze has the chance to further improve on a class currently ranked in the top-five according to 247Sports. It would not be surprising if the majority of the 2025 class sees ample playing time as soon as next season on the Plains.

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Will Hugh Freeze make a change at quarterback?

Auburn needs to win its final three games in order to qualify for a bowl game. Will a change be made?

Auburn football’s season and year two under head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is not going as many people thought it would, and if many questions were not already raised about this program, even more are coming up now.

The Tigers are currently 3-6 on the year and 1-5 in SEC play. As if that is not enough, Freeze is sitting at 9-13 in his Auburn tenure, similar to where Bryan Harsin was in his second season on the Plains.

One of the main questions that has surrounded the team, though, is the quarterback play on the field. While [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has shown flashes of talent at moments this season, his play throughout his career with the Tigers has had many shaking their heads.

In two years, Thorne has recorded a 62% pass completion percentage, throwing 29 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He was benched in the team’s week two loss to Cal after throwing four interceptions for backup [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag], before returning to the starting job against Oklahoma.

Despite this season being Thorne’s final one of eligibility, Freeze said his staff is considering a change at the position during Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference.

“Payton’s played pretty solid, but at the same time you start thinking big picture and well, that’s a tough that’s a tough quandary for you as a coach,” Freeze said. “When you start thinking big picture, as opposed to one of your players that really hasn’t done anything wrong, but we certainly aren’t winning. And so we’re debating all of that this week and we’ll continue into next week, debating that.”

Outside of Brown, [autotag]Walker White[/autotag] has been working with the scout team for most of the year but is also in the running to earn some playing time here at the end of the season.

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Auburn falls in SEC Power Poll following loss to Vanderbilt

The Tigers are getting comfortable at the bottom of Tuscaloosa News’ columnist Chase Goodbread’s weekly ranking.

Just a week after Auburn looked like it had finally found an identity as a football team, the Tigers put up another stinker with a 17-7 home loss at the hands of Vanderbilt.

The Tigers followed up a 300-plus yard rushing effort with just 88 rushing yards in the loss, scoring points in only one of four quarters against a middle-of-the-pack Commodores defense.

Columnist Chase Goodbread dropped the Tigers back down to the second to last spot in the conference following the showing, ahead of only measly Mississippi State. The columnist pokes fun at the aforementioned Freeze in his reasoning for dropping the Tigers, citing Auburn fans are almost as tired of his anemic offense as Freeze is “tired” of seeing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] fell to (0-3) in his career against Pavia last Saturday. More importantly, the loss dropped Freeze’s team to (3-6) on the season, all but securing a second-straight losing campaign for the Tigers. Not much went right on Saturday, and Auburn’s ranking in the SEC Power Poll indicates just that.

On the other side of Goodbread’s rankings, Georgia (No. 1) held on to the top spot in the conference following another victory while Texas A&M (No. 4) dropped two spots. Texas (No. 2) and Tennessee (No. 3) both benefited from the Aggies free fall and Ole Miss (No. 5) entered the top 5 for the first time since early October.

Auburn isn’t likely to finish anywhere near the top of the Power Poll by season’s end. Still, it does have the opportunity to create some chaos atop the conference with games against Texas A&M (No. 4) and Alabama (No. 6) left on the schedule. However, the Tigers will need to take care of business against ULM this week before that.

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Auburn returns to the ‘misery index’ following loss to Vanderbilt

USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken gives Auburn a spot on his infamous list after falling to 3-6 on the season.

Despite not having a game to play this Saturday, Auburn football will begin this week on a sour note thanks to USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken.

Auburn returns to Wolken’s weekly “misery index” following its most recent defeat, a 17-7 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores. Auburn outgained Vanderbilt by over 100 yards last Saturday but struggled to convert third down plays and was shut out of the red zone.

Wolken complimented Vanderbilt’s ability to beat Auburn and Alabama this season, giving them the de facto “Alabama state championship” ahead of this month’s Iron Bowl. Another reason for selecting Auburn to be a part of the misery index this week was Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who has beaten Auburn in two straight seasons with two different programs, driving his winning streak to three games over Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

“At this point, Auburn fans have to be wondering, “How did it come to this?” Well, Diego Pavia has played a crazy huge role. The Vanderbilt quarterback beat Auburn last year when he was at New Mexico State. And even before that, in 2022, he beat then-Liberty coach Hugh Freeze 49-14. If you’re one of those people who paid Freeze $6.5 million a year to come to Auburn, it’s fair to wonder whether Pavia would have been a better investment.”

Auburn will look to regroup this week before heading into its most important stretch of the season. Returning from the bye week, Auburn will face ULM, No. 16 Texas A&M, and No. 11 Alabama. Auburn will need to win all three games to qualify for a bowl game.

Five-star CB Na’eem Offord recaps Auburn visit

The No. 1 recruit from Alabama was on the Plains weekend. How much ground did the Tigers make up in his recruitment?

The future of Auburn football is bright, as eight of Alabama’s top 10 recruits from the 2025 recruiting cycle have pledged to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s program. Two Ohio State commits, CB [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag] and EDGE [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag], are preventing Auburn from completing the top-10 sweep for this season.

Auburn hosted Offord for the Vanderbilt game last Saturday in hopes of flipping him from Ohio State. During his visit, Offord spoke with Cole Pinkston of On3, where he discussed his interest in Auburn. He tells Pinkston that Auburn’s 3-6 record does not deter him from considering Auburn and that he was pleased with the Tigers’ defensive efforts on Saturday despite the loss.

What intrigues Offord the most about Auburn is the opportunity to play early. He cites freshman [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag] and his chance to play meaningful snaps early in his career.

“For him to come in and be a big time impact player, it showed me a lot,” Offord said in an interview with On3. “It showed that Coach Crime (Wesley McGriff) is a good coach and knows how to coach his players and develop you. Jay Crawford is a coachable player and that just shows you the development right there.”

Offord says that he has not planned a future visit to Auburn ahead of the early signing period in December, but Auburn remains in the mix. Offord is the No. 1 player from Alabama according to 247Sports. The Parker High School product ranks No. 12 nationally and is the No. 2 overall cornerback from the 2025 cycle.

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia made Auburn ‘pay’ on Saturday

Pavia entered the Saturday’s game at Auburn with a chip on his shoulder.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia entered Saturday’s game at Auburn with a personal list of items to cross off.

One of those was to earn his second win over the Tigers in as many years, the other was to make [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the coaching staff to regret not recruiting him last offseason during his stay in the transfer portal.

He accomplished both goals on Saturday by leading his Vanderbilt squad to a 17-7 win over the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium, a victory which launched the Commodores into bowl eligibility since 2018.

Following the win, Pavia shared his thoughts of the game, including his personal thoughts on Auburn. He mentioned that Auburn was one of several Power Four programs to pass on him last offseason following his decision to transfer from New Mexico State, and he wanted them to regret the decision.

“I’m just super blessed, highly favored. A lot of teams did not take a chance on me. (Auburn) are just another team that didn’t. So I wanted to make them pay for what they did.” Pavia said postgame.

His dream of beating Auburn for the second time in as many years began before the game, when he shared an Instagram story that featured lyrics from the song “Heyy” by Lil Baby, particularly the line “they thought I got lucky last time.” Auburn fans suggested that the story could be in reference to New Mexico State’s 31-10 win over the Tigers in 2023, a game where Pavia threw for three touchdown passes.

He later confirmed suspicions.

“They thought I got lucky. You heard what they were saying in the interviews, they thought I got lucky last time I was here (with New Mexico State),” Pavia said. “Just to prove it twice, I’m that type of guy to give it all I got on Saturdays. Today was an ugly win, but we found a way to win.”

Pavia led Vanderbilt to its sixth win of the season Saturday despite completing just 9-of-22 passes for 143 yards, but his two touchdowns played a major role in the win. In three games against Hugh Freeze-led teams, Pavia is 3-0 while passing for eight touchdowns.

Auburn looks to avoid ‘punishing’ loss to Vanderbilt

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum says a loss to Vanderbilt would solidify a disastrous season for the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn football is gaining confidence after snapping a four-game losing streak last Saturday by taking down Kentucky on the road, 24-10.

The win was needed from a momentum standpoint, but the Tigers still need to win three of the next four games to qualify for a bowl game. Auburn’s next opportunity to claim bowl eligibility comes Saturday morning when the Tigers host Vanderbilt for an 11:45 a.m. CT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Vanderbilt will enter the game with a 5-3 record, holding a win over then-No. 1 Alabama and most recently losing a tight game to No. 6 Texas in Nashville. The Commodores are much better than its previous teams, but a loss to Vanderbilt would be detrimental to Auburn’s season says one ESPN analyst.

Radio show host and ESPN college football expert Paul Finebaum was a guest on a recent episode of the Andy and Ari podcast from On3, where he provided insight into several upcoming college football games including Auburn’s tilt with Vanderbilt. Finebaum says that he gives credit to Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] for “saving the season” with a win over Kentucky, but their road to bowl eligibility is anything but easy from here on out.

“But I think a loss (to Vanderbilt) would be pretty punishing though,” Finebaum said. “The only thing that you could say is Vandy is a lot better than they used to be. Ultimately, if he lost this game, he still has (Texas A&M) and Alabama. So, do the math. That’s easily what I would call a disastrous season. ULM is actually competitive, too.”

After Vanderbilt, Auburn will enjoy its second bye-week of the season before hosting ULM and No. 11 Texas A&M, then will travel to Tuscaloosa to battle rival, No. 14 Alabama, in the Iron Bowl. The combined record of Auburn’s final three opponents is 18-5, which will provide a challenge to a team that is looking to win six games. A win over Vanderbilt will not qualify the Tigers for a bowl but will make its road to eligibility easier.

Auburn jumps in SEC Power Poll following victory over Kentucky

Auburn leapfrogged Kentucky in this week’s power poll from columnist Chase Goodbread.

The Auburn Tigers finally re-found the win column on Saturday, playing a mistake-free, dominant game on the road against Kentucky.

Auburn’s 24-10 victory may not have vaulted the Tigers far up most rankings lists, but it did enable them to leapfrog Kentucky in this week’s SEC Power Poll from The Tuscaloosa News. The Tigers, who had consistently been ranked as the second-worst SEC squad in columnist Chase Goodbread’s poll for most of the season, now sits at No. 14 in the Poll.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s squad was in danger of another brutal loss early, but the Tigers rallied behind a career-high night from running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] to earn a huge 24-10 road win, putting them back into postseason contention as we enter the final month of the season.

The aforementioned Hunter ran for 278 yards in the win, earning himself a spot among the top 4 single-game rushers in Auburn history. His total was the highest rushing output by a Tiger since Tre Mason in 2013, and Hunter sits at the top of the SEC rushing leaders list this season (863 yards). While quarterback Payton Thorne didn’t too anything super impressive, Auburn’s signal caller did take care of the football and make key throws in important spots, helping the Tigers extend drives behind Hunter’s outstanding night.

As for the programs at the top of Goodbread’s rankings, Georgia (No. 1) held on to the top spot in the conference following an idle week. Texas A&M (No. 2) moved up from two spots after another major victory, while Texas (No. 3) fell for a second straight week. Tennessee (No. 4) dropped a spot after an idle week and Alabama (No. 5) climbed back into the top 5 following a 34-0 beatdown over Missouri.

With a matchup against No. 9 Vanderbilt on the cards this Saturday, Hugh Freeze’s team has a chance to knock on the door of the top 10 with a second-straight victory.

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