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NASHVILLE, TENN. -- After a quick and embarrassing exit at Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze has made his way back into the SEC.
Freeze's return was impressively swift, after he put together a 34-15 record in four seasons at Liberty and put the Flames on the college football map. Now he's been tasked with the job of resurrecting an Auburn program that has underachieved in recent years, including going 5-7 last year.
"We know we've got a tall task ahead, but it's one that we're excited about," Freeze said at SEC Media Days.
Tigers fans expecting Freeze to make a quick turnaround and return Auburn to prominence as he did at Ole Miss may have been chastened by his blunt assessment of his team.
"We've got a lot of questions about exactly how we're going to be, and truthfully I don't know all the answers to that yet," Freeze said. "This is a strange feeling and in some ways for me I've never experienced going into fall camp and having so many unknowns in my mind."
The Tigers were busy in the transfer portal, picking up quarterback Payton Thorne from Michigan State and 19 other players, most of whom will be counted on to play key roles right off the bat. Auburn also lost 20 players in the portal and All-SEC running back to the NFL, adding to the roster upheaval.
"There's a lot of things that I'm not quite certain about, also, but I'm excited about the opportunity to get to know our team even better," Freeze said.
Auburn used the motto "flip the script" this spring, which Freeze said was a clear indication of what the team needs to focus on from the start.
"We first have to rewire the way we think. That's the first thing that I think needed to be flipped," he said.
With the roster flipped and a new mindset, is that enough for Auburn to rebound in a the final year of the SEC West? Freeze said he was remains uncertain -- but expects to find out quickly.
"Does our roster from top to bottom look like Alabama's, Georgia's, LSU's, Florida, A&M, Ole Miss? I don't know yet," he said. "Do I think we've improved Auburn with the additions that we've had since I've been there? Yes. Does that mean we close the gap at all? I have no clue."
Auburn projected lineup
QB: Payton Thorne (RS-Sr.-TR.)
RB: Jarquez Hunter (Jr.)
TE: Rivaldo Fairwather (Sr.-TR.)
WR: Shane Hooks (Sr.-TR.)
WR: Jayaire Shorter (RS-Sr.-TR.)
WR: Caleb Shorter (RS-Fr.-TR.)
LT: Dillon Wade (RS-Jr.-TR.)
LG: Jeremiah Wright (RS-Jr.)
C: Avery Jones (Sr.-TR.)
RG: Tate Johnson (RS-Jr.)
RT: Gunner Britton (RS-Sr.-TR.)
DE: Marcus Harris (RS-Sr.-TR.)
NT: Justin Rogers (Sr.-TR.)
DT: Mosiah Nasili-Kite (RS-Sr.-TR.)
JACK: Jalen McLeod (Jr.-TR.)
MIKE: Austin Keys (RS-Jr.-TR.)
WILL: Larry Nixon III (RS-Sr.-TR.)
STAR: Keionte Scott (Jr.-TR.)
CB: Nehemiah Pritchett (Sr.)
SS: Zion Puckett (RS-Sr.)
FS: Jaylin Simpson (RS-Jr.)
CB: D.J. James (Sr.-TR.)
Auburn 2023 schedule
Sept. 2: UMass
Sept. 9: @Cal
Sept. 16: Samford
Sept. 23: @TEXAS A&M
Sept. 30: Georgia
Oct. 14: @LSU
Oct. 21: Ole Miss
Oct. 28: Mississippi State
Nov. 4: @Vanderbilt
Nov. 11: @Arkansas
Nov. 18: New Mexico State
Nov. 25: Alabama
