Paul Finebaum Didn’t Hesitate To Put Top SEC Head Coach On Hot Seat

Paul Finebaum Didn’t Hesitate To Put Top SEC Head Coach On Hot Seat originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Paul Finebaum isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to Hugh Freeze. The longtime Southeastern Conference insider and ESPN college football analyst appeared on the "McElroy & Cubelic" podcast and made it clear: the Auburn head coach is officially on the hot seat.

"It's easier to find schools in must-win situations because there's so many of them," Finebaum said, referring to the growing pressure on several coaches heading into the 2025 season.

But his focus quickly shifted to Auburn and Freeze in particular.

"I think 6 or 8 or 10 weeks ago… I said, 'Hugh Freeze is in good shape. He's recruited well,'" Finebaum admitted, acknowledging that he had previously defended the coach entering his third year at Auburn.

However, things have changed and not for the better. Auburn’s lackluster performance on the recruiting trail and Freeze’s recent attempt to shift the narrative have raised eyebrows across the SEC.

"I think it's a long game play for us that I think is gonna work out in our favor, because we're doing it very transparent in the way we believe the settlement is written to operate, if that makes any sense," Freeze said on David Pollack's "See Ball Get Ball" show.

Auburn is ranked 78th in 247Sports' recruiting team rankings for 2026.

"And then I started getting closer to the sun. Now I literally can't believe what I've experienced," Finebaum continued, referring to the growing realization that Freeze may be in over his head at Auburn.

He didn’t hold back when addressing Freeze’s decision to appear on a podcast to defend himself. “It could be, maybe (I was) a prisoner of the moment. Maybe the headlines,” Finebaum said. “But I don't think he helped himself at all the other day by finding a friendly podcast to go on and trying to act like the media, and one or two people in particular, have no earthly idea what we're talking about.”

For Finebaum, Freeze’s inability to clearly articulate Auburn’s direction is a major red flag.

“He can't even explain it to his own fan base what's going on down there,” Finebaum said.

If Auburn doesn’t show improvement quickly on the field and on the recruiting trail, Freeze could be the next big-name coach facing an early exit.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.