Auburn Fires Hugh Freeze; Durkin Named Interim

Auburn fired head coach Hugh Freeze on Sunday after a 10-3 home loss to Kentucky that left the Tigers 4-5 overall and 1-5 in SEC play this season, ending Freeze’s nearly three-year tenure at 15-19. The dismissal came amid heavy fan unrest and chronic offensive struggles — including limited passing, sacks allowed and a failure to replicate his Ole Miss production or beat Alabama — that eroded confidence in his leadership. Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was named interim coach; Durkin’s unit has shown strong defensive numbers but his hiring renewed scrutiny over past investigations from his time as Maryland’s head coach. Auburn will owe roughly $15–16 million in buyout money and the move is the program’s fourth coaching change in five years as it begins a midseason rebuilding search. Early names linked to the opening include Jon Sumrall, Kenny Dillingham and Clark Lea as Auburn leans on its location and donor base to land a turnaround leader.