Hugh Freeze an ‘optimist’ about future of college football

While some are worried about the future of college football, Hugh Freeze is an optimist regarding the next decade.

Speaking with the media earlier last week, the Auburn Tigers leader was asked about where he sees the sport in ten years. Evidently, Freeze has confidence that the decision-makers in the sport will figure out how to regulate things, and help a more structured version of college football come to life.

“I’m an optimist,” Freeze said, asked about where he sees college football ten years from now. “I’m looking forward to some changes that bring us some structure around the portal and the NIL world, and I think they’ve got to come.

“So I’m optimistic, that in ten year, we’ve kind of reined some of it in, to have some structure around it, at least, and hopefully, you know, I’ve said it publicly, we need to bring them on campus, and sign them to a contract, just like I sign a contract. They want a one-year contract, great. They want a two-year contract, great. But once you sign it, just like if I leave Auburn, somebody has to pay Auburn money. It should be the same way in my opinion, and I think that would bring a lot more sanity to it.”

To a point, that’s what a lot of college football coaches are asking for. Will it happen? That remains to be seen, but we know what side of the fence Freeze is on at the moment.

It’s tough to predict where college football will be in ten years, and where Hugh Freeze will be. Regardless, the Auburn leader is a believer in the sport’s future, and how the transfer portal and NIL will be handled, it seems.

Hugh Freeze on Payton Thorne: ‘I’m a believer’

Moreover, Hugh Freeze is entering his second season with the Auburn Tigers, and many questions loom large, including one at quarterback. 

However, Freeze doesn’t particularly believe that’s true, it seems. He’s locked in with Payton Thorne as his starting quarterback once again, and it’s evident the coach is a big time believer in the former transfer from the Big Ten.

“I’m a believer in Payton,” Freeze told the media, earlier this week. “Obviously, I know that, you know, quarterbacks, they’re either going to take praise or criticism, there’s nowhere in between. He certainly has had his good and bad moments, but I do believe, with better pieces around him, that he has the ability to be a great leader, and a really solid quarterback in this league. 

“I think he senses, more of a cohesiveness, in the staff and what we’re trying to do, that fits his skillset. So hopefully, that will translate into him playing more confidently.”

Thorne was inconsistent, but he did show flashes last season. Freeze believes Auburn’s new quarterback coach Kent Austin will go a long way towards developing the player that Thorne could be.

“Kent, I think is the — I get a lot credit for the past play of the quarterbacks, but truthfully, it really should go to him,” Freeze stated. “He’s the best quarterback coach that I’ve been around. He and Dan Warner are both as solid as they come. I think he is really going to help that whole quarterback room with their development. 

“He understands coverages, and is able to teach in a unique way. So I think he’s going to be very, very valuable, in how they play.”

Alas, it’s evident the belief is there, now it’s up to Payton Thorne to show why it’s so prevalent, as the Auburn Tigers move into a pivotal 2024 campaign.