Football coach Hugh Freeze, whose 15-19 record in his two-plus seasons at Auburn was capped by a listless home loss to Kentucky on Saturday, was fired, athletic director John Cohen announced Sunday. Freeze, 56, will be owed $15.8 million in buyout money, with no mitigation, after he signed a six-year, $49 million deal to replace Bryan Harsin in 2022. Freeze is the eighth Power Four coach to be fired this season. "I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn football program," Cohen said in a statement. "Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster. Our expectations for Auburn football are to annually compete for championships, and the search for the next leader of Auburn football begins immediately." Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was named interim coach of the Tigers. "It's my fervent belief that great days are ahead for the Auburn foot ball program," Freeze wrote in a statement posted on X. "Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this chapter. I love this place, and I'll carry the friendships with me always."Much of the SEC offseason spotlight focused on Freeze, heightening t he need for a strong start for the Tigers. In his time at Auburn, he had a 6-16 mark in the SEC, and his tenure was marked by excruciating home losses to New Mexico State, Cal, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Oklahoma. The program's offensive issues co ntinued under Freeze, with the Tigers scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 SEC games. He also was on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season, thanks partly to questionable calls. Freeze, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year, improved the roster heading into this season, landing consecutive top-10 recruiting classes. He also added key transfers, such as quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) and wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech). Combin ed with a manageable 2025 schedule and a contract that ran through the 2028 season, it seemed the pieces were in place for Freeze to author a breakthrough. - AP College Football
(DS#15 OG) rSr/2026  OG Jeremiah Wright, Auburn
News Source: AP College Football
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