SECMD23: Freeze creating new mindset in Auburn camp
New Auburn coach Hugh Freeze faces the media at the 2023 SEC Football Kickoff Media Days at the Grand Marriott in Nashville. (Staff Photo)
By GRAHAM DUNN
NASHVILLE - Rewiring.
That has been the job of Hugh Freeze since he arrived on campus at Auburn University.
Making players believe in themselves was the first order of business when he was hired after Auburn’s 5-7 campaign in 2022.
“The first thing that I think had to be flipped was the mindset,” Freeze explained, “because I really believe as a man thinketh, so he is. What do we think about ourselves at Auburn, and they had heard so much and will hear so much about what people's opinion are or where you should be picked to finish and all of these things.
“But man, we first have to rewire the way we think. That's the first thing that I think needed to be flipped, and that's why I chose that as the spring theme.
Freeze took questions during Tuesday’s edition of SEC Football Media Days at the Grand Hyatt, explaining what he has battled in his first months on the job on the Plains.
“What is our culture? Our culture is based on faith, attitude, and mental toughness, integrity and love and what do those things mean to us,” he said.
“Faith, obviously that's a word that can mean a lot of different things for a lot of different people, and certainly it means something for me, and the bottom line is if we are going to reestablish Auburn being what Auburn should be, we must have faith in each other.”
Freeze is saying all the right things as he prepares for his first season at the helm. He expects Auburn to be competitive despite having a roster that features 42 new names. He believes his quarterback situation will work itself out, reminding everyone that he’s a “pretty good quarterback coach.”
And while he didn’t promise fans a win over Alabama, he didn’t shy away about talking up the rivalry.
“I've always taken great pride in walking into a new program and saying, ‘listen, they currently are the gold standard and this is what we want to be.’ We welcome that opportunity and we welcome that challenge,” Freeze said.
“I have great respect for Nick (Saban). He's actually a good friend, and what he's done there. But there are so many good coaches in this league that do such a great job, and many of them do it with less than what others have.”
New players bring new energy but will that translate into wins?
“I've mentioned this multiple times today, but we are very focused in the moment,” stated Tigers’ tight end Luke Deal. “We are very focused on the process and each day, day in and day out, getting better. We're not looking ahead or looking behind.”