There’s something about SEC head coaches and golf courses. Both scream disaster when the W-L column looks like your fantasy team after three starters get injured. So when Hugh Freeze posted a sunshine-filled golf trophy pic while his recruiting class belly-flopped to 86th nationally, dead-last in the SEC, Tiger fans went full DEFCON 1. And in the cutthroat world of southern football? That isn’t just a bad look. That’s throwing kerosene on a dumpster fire already lit with back-to-back losing seasons.

What started as a harmless Instagram flex turned into a public interrogation. Freeze, casually flashing pearly whites on the links, seemed tone-deaf at best and oblivious at worst. SEC message boards flared up like barbecue pits in November, with fans asking one question: why is our coach playing 18 holes while five-stars are ghosting Auburn?

On July 25, the fire got more fuel. SEC Mike released a podcast from Media Days, featuring Trey Wallace of Outkick. Cousin Shane asked the million-dollar question: “Which one worries you more. A motivated Mark Stoops at the bar, or Hugh Freeze on the golf course during recruiting?” Trey didn’t hold back. “That’s the damn crazy part about this,” Wallace said bluntly. “Everybody loves to talk about Hugh… but folks out there would be very surprised to know how many of their head coaches are hitting the golf course on a Tuesday afternoon. But Freeze? He’s walking a real thin line.”

Wallace didn’t stop there. He ripped into Freeze’s doing things by right mentality: “This whole ‘We’re gonna wait until August 1 and do it the right way’ talk? My man, stop. You haven’t been doing it the right way for a while.” Let’s keep it a buck. Freeze’s job isn’t in jeopardy because he golfs. Nick Saban’s got a swing smoother than his press conferences. The difference? Saban wins. Freeze’s first two seasons? 6-7 and 5-7. Two bowl-less years and a whole lot of moral victories that don’t show up in December. And while Auburn does flex a top-tier $14 million golf center. A shiny toy in the facilities arms race. Fans don’t want him draining birdie putts. They want him closing five-star commits and flipping SEC beasts.

And the data’s not on Freeze’s side. Between June 1 and June 24, Auburn lost three key commits. Meanwhile, top targets like Jared Curtis (QB1) bolted for Georgia. Devin Carter flipped to Florida State. A program that went 2-10 last season. Denairius Gray? Headed to Kentucky. The optics? Brutal.

Sure, coaches play golf. But timing is everything. Then came Wallace’s second mic drop. “Your donors who used to meet in hotel parking lots and drop bags off the back door. Did they just stop showing up?” he quipped. “You keep talking about August 1 like it’s the SEC’s second coming. Fifty other schools already got verbal offers out, brother.”

To Freeze’s credit, since the whole golf thing got blown in his face, he has been putting in some work. 4 four-star commits since late June. Jaquez Wilkes, Peyton Falzone, Wilson Zierer, and Adam Balogoun-Ali. This helped ease the pain. But the damage from May and early June? Still lingers. The class now sits at No. 70 nationally. And here’s the kicker: Hugh Freeze isn’t just in danger because he’s golfing. He’s in danger because he’s losing. Freeze is the first Auburn coach in 50 years to go back-to-back with losing seasons and still have a job. That third year? It’s judgment day.

Expectations for Hugh Freeze heading into the 2025 season

In Auburn football history, no head coach has survived 3 straight losing seasons. None. Not even close. One losing year? You’re already looking at real estate. Two? You better be packing. But Hugh Freeze? Somehow still here. Still swinging. And not just on the field.

The context matters, of course. Freeze inherited a dumpster fire from Bryan Harsin. Morale was tanked. Recruiting was on life support. So, Year 1 and 2? Okay, maybe a pass. But Year 3? There are no more sympathy cards. USA TODAY Sports already listed Freeze on their preseason SEC hot seat rankings. Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams say his seat’s hotter.

Toppmeyer believes only Arkansas’ Sam Pittman has less job security. Adams was slightly kinder, putting Billy Napier and Mark Stoops on warmer seats, but even he acknowledged Freeze is running out of rope. The real issue? Not just the losses. But how they happened. Blown leads, ugly offensive showings, and now, a recruiting cliff dive.

Vegas has Freeze’s 2025 win total set at 7.5. That’s the Mendoza Line. Hit eight? You live to coach another day. Miss it? Sayonara. And the analytics? ESPN’s SP+ says Auburn finishes at 6.9 wins. That isn’t gonna cut it. Paul Finebaum and Greg McElroy are cautiously optimistic, thinking 8-9 wins is possible. But that’s if Freeze gets the pieces to click and if they don’t lose more blue-chips to rival programs. Time to put the clubs away and pick up the clipboard, coach. This is your last tee shot.