Some coaches view votes of confidence from their athletic directors as harbingers of bad things to come, but not Auburn's Hugh Freeze. He would welcome one from athletic director John Cohen.
Freeze, under pressure after Auburn's 0-4 start to SEC play in his third season, was asked Monday about the statements released by the athletic directors at Florida State and Wisconsin. FSU's Michael Alford and Wisconsin's Chris McIntosh both expressed disappointment in their teams' seasons but said they would continue to support coaches Mike Norvell and Luke Fickell, respectively.
"It would be huge, That would make everyone feel a lot better, for sure," Freeze said. "I haven't talked to John. I'm going to say John has been so supportive ever since, obviously, my hire. ... They have a job to do, and certainly, he has people he has to answer to. I know how close we are. I know I can get this fixed."
Freeze, hired by Cohen in late 2022, is 14-18 overall at Auburn. He hasn't won more than six games in a season after winning seven or more in all but one season at Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty.
Asked last week by AL.com about Freeze and a potential coaching change, Cohen said, "I don't know if I'm going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not, I think it is. I have an expectation it will. But if my car doesn't start enough, then I will evaluate that and make decisions about my car. But that's not my expectation at this point about our football program."
Auburn, which started 3-0, has played one of the tougher schedules in the SEC. All four of its opponents -- Texas A&M, Georgia, Oklahoma and Missouri -- rank in the top 15 of the AP poll. The Tigers visit unranked Arkansas this week before hosting Kentucky.
"I've trusted John since I've been here to do the right things, and he's got to do what he feels is best for this program, of course," Freeze said. "I think it's us. We fit Auburn, we fit the Auburn culture. The culture in the building has changed, the talent level has changed.
"Unfortunately, we just haven't gotten over the hump in a very difficult stretch of games, but I believe that's coming very, very soon."