Auburn AD John Cohen Doesn’t 'Expect' to Move On From Hugh Freeze, But He Also Doesn’t Expect Car Trouble

In the midst of three straight losses, the conversation around the fate of Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has picked up immensely over the past month. 

Across college football, athletic directors facing similar situations fear the same thing — fan apathy. Once that sets in, ticket sales, donations, and overall support start to dry up.

But, unless Auburn athletic director John Cohen starts having car trouble over the next few weeks, Hugh Freeze is likely to return for the 2026 season as the Tigers head coach, according to an interview done with Peter Rauterkus. 

After losing to Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Georgia in recent weeks, along with an offense that has never taken off this season, there has been plenty of talk about whether Freeze is the right man for the job in Auburn. 

College Football’s Problem: Penn State Acted Quickly To Avoid Fan Apathy. Florida And Auburn Are Risking It

Auburn Doesn’t Want To Deal With A Coaching Search? 

Judging by the comments made by John Cohen to Al.com on Monday, the feeling right now from the man in charge is leaning towards Freeze returning. 

Even though he used the "Never Say Never" mantra during his interview, it sounds as though Cohen is not ready to make a change, like the one made on Sunday by Penn State with the firing of James Franklin. 

"I don’t know if I’m going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not, I think it is," Cohen told AL.com on Monday. "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."

So, he's saying there is a chance that Auburn officials could decide to move on, but only if things get worse on the plains. I'm sure Hugh Freeze appreciates the clever usage of words when describing his job status, though the Auburn coach should honestly be happy that the situation doesn't sound more dire in the eyes of the athletic director. 

So, Hugh Freeze Is Penciled In For A 2026 Return? 

If we're being honest, John Cohen is not going to tip his hand, even though he felt the need to discuss the current situation with the respected outlet. 

There are different elements of his thinking regarding the status of Hugh Freeze, or any other coach on the Auburn campus. It's actually pretty simple, in making sure everyone is bought in, along with having the right type of athlete. 

"Is the locker room still buying in? Are we still bringing in the right types of student athletes, both out of the portal and from the high school and junior college ranks? And are our kids getting better? And are they giving a great effort?" Cohen told the outlet. "That’s the template for me. Those are the questions I have to answer for myself in any program that we have."

Ok, so, it's easy to notice that the locker room is still making the effort needed to compete on a weekly basis. While the defense seems to be staying the course, there are plenty of problems with the offensive output we've seen from the Tigers since Hugh Freeze took over, with expectations from fans that they would be a problem for opposing defenses. 

But right now, there is another situation brewing within the Auburn fan base, and it has to do with whether fans can stomach another season of mediocre results that already have the Tigers out of CFP race. 

If Auburn were to lose on Saturday to Missouri, and look dreadful in the process, maybe the engine in John Cohen's car would start to sputter. 

Just like the Hugh Freeze offense that everyone expected to be running at full-speed in his third season as head coach.