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Hugh Freeze made one final walk off the field Saturday night after the loss to Kentucky, as the student section loudly chanted “Fire Freeze.” The students got their wish, Auburn fired its head coach, according to multiple sources.
The embarrassing loss to Kentucky, where Auburn only scored three points in the 10-3 loss, was the final straw for Freeze. He left the athletic department and the boosters with no other options, as the Tigers fell to 1-5 in the SEC.
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Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze leaves the field after a loss to Kentucky in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Auburn, Alabama. (AP Photo/Dill Butch)
Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin will serve as the Tigers’ interim head coach, as Auburn travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday, before facing Mercer and Alabama to close out the 2025 season.
Auburn will owe Hugh Freeze approximately $15.5 million over the remaining years of his contract, according to sources. There were no negotiations regarding the buyout.
For a coach who promised big things for the Auburn program, Freeze ended up looking like a used car salesman over the last four years on the Plains. After every loss, for whatever reason, he kept coming back to the phrase “We’re close” that would send Auburn fans into a total frenzy.
Ultimately, the offensive guru put Auburn in a worse position than in the beginning. Most would think the Bryan Harsin era was bad, but the Tigers remained at a standstill for years, hope fading after each agonizing loss they suffered.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze reacts on the sidelines after his team scored a touchdown against Arkansas in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
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Whether it was the Georgia game or the close loss to Missouri, the 2025 season was a disaster. And when the fans turn on you, it’s over. One might therefore wonder why John Cohen took so long to make a decision. Did the administration really think that a victory over Arkansas would change the situation?
No, it just gave them more time to make a decision that should have been made two weeks ago.
If you thought heading to Nashville next weekend to face Vanderbilt against Auburn’s unofficial “Governor” in Diego Pavia was a smart move, I imagine fans are relieved to know the decision was made early Sunday morning.
It’s time to join the coaching carousel. Who could the tigers hunt?
This whole situation was beyond repair, and no amount of zero funding was going to fix it. Auburn’s boosters had given enough, with no return on investment.
Now, Auburn joins the likes of LSU, Florida and Arkansas in the search for a new head coach. There will be a lot of questions centered around which job is better, but the Tigers are currently third on that list.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops talks with Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze before an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Auburn, Alabama. (AP Photo/Dill Butch)
The support is there, along with many influential “money people” willing to throw zero funding to the next head coach to keep players from leaving, as well as finding quick fixes in the transfer portal. There was no way Auburn could wait until the end of the season to make this decision. Of course, the fans will still show up, and you can bet the Tigers will have a good showing at Vanderbilt next week in terms of fan support.
But Freeze looked like a coach at a loss for words, knowing this was the last time he would sit on a podium with the Auburn logo at his side.
Now we wait to see where the Tigers turn next, and they have plenty of company in college football.
