5 Candidates Who Could Replace Hugh Freeze at Auburn

The Hugh Freeze era at Auburn came to a disappointing end over the weekend, as the Auburn Tigers have officially fired the third-year head coach after a 1-5 start to SEC play this season.

The news broke around noon CST on Sunday, and athletics director John Cohen released a statement regarding Freeze’s firing and the change in leadership within the program.

“I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn Football program. Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster,” Cohen said in a release. “Our expectations for Auburn Football are to annually compete for championships and the search for the next leader of Auburn Football begins immediately.”

Auburn has been thrust into a wild coaching carousel, which now features nine Power Four programs that will be searching for a head coach in the offseason.

Let’s take a look at five potential candidates who could take over as Auburn’s next head football coach.

Jon Sumrall (Tulane HC)

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has been one of the hottest names surrounding the Auburn job over the past few weeks as Freeze’s time on the Plains ticked down week by week.

He has various connections to multiple SEC schools, and considering LSU, Arkansas, Florida, Auburn, and potentially even Kentucky, are all searching for a coach, it could be a brawl for him. Sumrall is a Kentucky alum, he spent a couple of years at Troy in various roles, including head coach, but Tulane is also right down the road from LSU. Thus, he likely has many options and will receive a multitude of appealing offers from these schools.

If Auburn were to offer him the job, Sumrall could be a perfect fit with the Tigers. His attitude, competitive mindset, and the way in which he runs a program may be just what Auburn needs.

Clark Lea (Vanderbilt HC)

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea is another name that has been thrown around in discussions, as the Commodores are 7-2 this season with their only losses at Alabama and at Texas.

Lea was hired in 2021 and has done a phenomenal job assembling a roster and building an atrocious Vanderbilt football program that is now competitive with most teams in the SEC. Before Saturday, the Commodores were 7-1 and found themselves in solid contention for the College Football Playoff.

Furthermore, in his forth season in Nashville last year in 2024, Vanderbilt finished 7-6 with a Birmingham Bowl victory to cap it off, which marked more wins in a single season than Freeze had in his two full campaigns on the Plains.

Lea is a Vanderbilt alum, but it will be challenging for him not to consider a job at a school with a historically good football program. If Lea can win at a place like Vanderbilt, he can win at Auburn.

Brent Key (Georgia Tech HC)

Hired at Georgia Tech in 2022, Brent Key has found considerable success in Atlanta, leading the Yellow Jackets to winning seasons in 2023 and 2024 and currently sitting at 8-1 in 2025. They were undefeated heading into this weekend, but despite falling to NC State on the road on Saturday, they could very well find a way into the playoff.

Although he is a Georgia Tech alum, Key has had significant success throughout his coaching career. Most notably, he won a national championship in 2017 as the offensive line coach at Alabama. Key could potentially be a great fit for Auburn if he is willing to leave his alma mater.

Rhett Lashlee (SMU HC)

Rhett Lashlee is the most familiar with Auburn of anyone on this list, making him a common name on social media.

Lashlee served as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator from 2013-16, where he led Auburn to a 2013 SEC Championship and BCS National Championship game appearance in his first season under Gus Malzahn. Additionally, he was also an offensive graduate assistant under former head coach Gene Chizik when the Tigers won the 2010 BCS National Championship behind Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton.

Now in his fourth season at the helm at SMU, Lashlee boasts two 11-win seasons (2023 and 2024) with the Mustangs. SMU won the American in 2023, and it clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff last season in the Mustangs’ first year in the ACC.

Lashlee recently signed a two-year contract extension at SMU, and he’s one of Arkansas’s top candidates, considering he’s played his collegiate ball with the Razorbacks. Thus, it may be a long shot, but Lashlee’s proven success while managing an offense in a Power Four conference and his experience on the Plains will definitely attract attention.

Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State HC)

Kenny Dillingham is another option familiar with Auburn, as he served as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator in 2019 under Gus Malzahn with now-Denver Broncos starting quarterback Bo Nix under center. Nix won 2019 Freshman of the Year, and Auburn’s offense was one of the most improved in the SEC with Dillingham on staff.

Dillingham led Arizona State to a Big 12 Championship last season in the Sun Devils’ inaugural season in conference, and had Texas on the ropes in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff in January.

Dillingham would bring a great revival of winning culture to the Plains, which is something Auburn truly lacked under Freeze.