Getty Image
Hugh Freeze wrapped up his Wednesday by signing 24 new players in a Top 10 class. That group is headlined by a pair of five-star pass rushers from the state of Alabama.
The Auburn coach was also able to secure major commitments from players living in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Maryland. He went head-to-head with nearby programs – and he came out on top!
That success didn’t come without hiccups, the head coach insists. His job was made more difficult by rival coaches who supposedly bad-mouthed him on the recruiting trail. Freeze accused his competition of lying about his health in order to swipe recruits. The absolute lowest of lows!
Hugh Freeze says some of his commitments told him that other coaching staffs said Freeze was stepping down at Auburn due to health reasons.
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) December 4, 2024
Hugh Freeze says some of his signees relayed the antics of those rival programs after inking their signatures to play for the Tigers. It’s worth noting that he has had health scares in the past.
While at Liberty, he was seen coaching from a hospital bed after suffering a back injury. He missed nearly two weeks of practice due to the setback, which was the result of a herniated disk.
I still randomly see the Hugh Freeze hospital bed memes and laugh at this moment. pic.twitter.com/hRrWPcNhcI
— Eddie (@eddiec118) September 8, 2024
The image of Freeze in the booth was comical, but the situation was scary. He told ESPN that a “potentially life-threatening strand of staph infection entered his bloodstream.” He had emergency surgery, which potentially saved his life.
Were opposing coaches using it as a recruiting tactic? Hugh Freeze suggested so! It’s not the first time the head coach has accused his foes of wrongdoing.
Earlier this season, he claimed that other staffs were tampering with his roster. Auburn started the season 2-5. Many thought the wheels were coming off. Freeze says his opposition tried to get players to jump ship before it sank completely. There’d be good reason to do so.
The Tigers brought in a Top 10 class last offseason. They have talent. Many of those freshmen played this year, helping the team finish 3-2 with a win over Texas A&M. After swinging and missing on those tampering efforts pertaining to current Auburn players, rival coaches supposedly set their sights on Tiger recruits.
Whether or not the claim is true, we’ll likely never know. What can be said, though, is that Auburn did a great job in closing out its class strong in spite of the roadblocks Hugh Freeze and Co. might’ve faced.