Hugh Freeze, Auburn Find Support from Unlikely Source: ESPN’s Paul Finebaum

Veteran ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum certainly doesn't hand out praise free and easily, especially when it comes to the Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze.
However, with in the spirit of appearing fair and balanced, Finebaum's silver tongue was full of praise and optimism for the third-year coach and his program.
While Tigers fans are busy crossing their fingers and toes that the program is finally on the up, Finebaum pointed toward wins in recruitment and the transfer portal as tangible green shoots of recovery on the Plains.
"I'm also strangely bullish, and I don't think it's strange, but every time I bring this up, people shoot me down, but I like what I see from Auburn," Finebaum told the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning show. "I like that they went out and landed a QB who can help them even though he didn't do much at Oklahoma.
"And I'm very impressed with the recruiting of Auburn, and I know some people say the state doesn't matter as much anymore. ... I realize all that, but from an internal pride standpoint, what Hugh Freeze is doing is important. He's facing a critical season, I'm not washing that away. It won't matter if he doesn't have a big year, but I do like the momentum there."
Clearly, any upward tick in AU fortunes will indeed rest on finding a workable solution to some pretty deep rooted issues at the quarterback position.
Of course, Jackson Arnold's arrival from Oklahoma does provide a serious upgrade over Payton Thorne in terms of sheer athleticism, but it's still a trip into the unknown.
For as long as intriguing 5-star prospect Deuce Knight lurks just off stage, it could be suggested that pretty much everything is mere bridge building toward the future.
That being said, Finebaum is on the money, Arnold is still probably going to be the single most important driving factor during season No.3 at the helm for coach Freeze. If Arnold isn't a success, Freeze isn't likely to see a future with Knight. Carrying that heavy burden is a major ask for a player who struggled to find a real identity for himself, albeit under some fairly difficult conditions with the Sooners.
In so many ways, you're only as good as your last game. Recruiting is one aspect, but the won-loss record is the ultimate measuring stick. So now is not the time for Freeze to kick back and relax just because they've gained some ground.
After all, Finebaum is a notorious rattlesnake who can turn in his prey in the blink of an eye.