There have been signs in recent weeks that Auburn fans are starting to wake up to reality. Not all fans on Auburn’s forums are convinced that Hugh Freeze is recruiting enough players.
There has never been a good answer as to why Hugh Freeze has not signed a quarterback through the transfer portal. In May, Hugh Freeze justified his decision by saying he “couldn’t bring himself to spend $1 million on a quarterback.” Given that the going rate for a quarterback talented enough to start in the SEC is at least $1 million, why would Freeze bat an eyelid?
There are two possible reasons for this. One is solid and comes from a credible source. The other may have some legitimacy but is nothing more than an unconfirmed rumor at this point. The credible source is Josh Pate. In a recent conversation about Auburn on The War Rapport, Pate suggested that one reason for not adding a transfer quarterback may not have had much to do with Payton Thorne and may have been because Freeze knows he has too many other holes on his roster to have much success in the 2024 season. At least it’s a plausible guess.
Perhaps Auburn’s pockets are not deep enough to meet all of the football program’s needs. This brings us back to the current rumor. It involves a million dollars being reallocated from Auburn baseball to Auburn football. The rumor does not state whether the dollars were part of Auburn University’s budget or a reallocation of NIL resources. My opinion is that I doubt the rumor because it seems unlikely that Auburn football is so cash-strapped that it needs an extra million.
Instead, I think Josh Pate is right. Auburn is in for another “mediocre” season and the funds need to go toward player resources for 2025, not 2024. Pate also said he thinks the over/under of 7.5 wins for Auburn is correct and that if he were making a decision way too early, he would go with the under.
I’ll end on a lighter note and leave Alabama Crimson Tide fans with a surprise.
Maybe Hugh Freeze is just Gus with fewer SEC championships
— JuJu Lewis fan account (@GSportsAuburn) June 29, 2024
And maybe Auburn has again hired a head coach who isn’t as good as Gus Malzahn.
