On3 Roundtable: What to make of Hugh Freeze’s comment on Jarquez Hunter

Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter’s status for the 2023 season is still up in the air after he was suspending over the alleged leaking of an inappropriate video over social media that featured himself. There’s some optimism Hunter could be cleared soon but head coach Hugh Freeze simply wasn’t giving away any details or updates on the situation at SEC Media Days this week, even when asked directly about the situation.

After Freeze’s time at the podium this week, On3’s own Auburn insider, Justin Hokanson, joined JD PicKell for a chat as part of the On3 Roundtable. During their discussion of Freeze’s comments, they broke down the Hunter situation, where Hokanson shared that everyone in the media is no more in the light on the story than they were before this week.

Here was his brief breakdown of the Hunter saga and where it’s at right now given Freeze’s comments:

“Yeah, interesting. So Jarquez Hunter, we’ve talked about a little bit, there’s an investigation going on with the university. He was asked about what his status was and basically Freeze just said, ‘I can’t comment on university policies and procedures, that’s it.’ There’s a follow-up question that was asked to him when we got — when local guys got to talk to him — and he said about… ‘hey are there any other players involved?’ And (Freeze) just repeated the same answer. So a kind of a non-answer.”

Per Hokanson, the beginning of August could be a time to expect the talented running back on the field.

“We told our board at Auburn Live that I’ve been hearing that he should be available on Aug. 1 to practice,” he said. “So I think that’s the case, I think it just, until that point happens, he gave that answer. So I don’t know that that answer is any more concerning than it was. But we’ll find out here in a couple weeks.”

PicKell then chimed in to take up for Freeze’s tight-lipped answers, noting that he’s likely just trying to avoid headlines altogether with that mess of a story.

“Probably not trying to make a headline or lean too far one way or another. I mean that makes sense to a degree to answer it that way,” PicKell added.

Hokanson then responded that it’s best for media members like themselves to steer clear of any speculation or mis-reporting on a story as delicate and unknown as this one.

“And when you’re talking about university policies and internal investigations going on, until they put out a release you don’t say a word,” Hokanson said.

So, no real update on Jarquez Hunter, but Aug. 1 is the date to keep an eye on, per Justin Hokanson.