Hugh Freeze Needs to put a Stake in Auburn's 3-Headed Play-Calling Monster

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw

That the Auburn Tigers sometimes looked confused and erratic on offense shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Head coach Hugh Freeze, offensive coordinator Derrick Nix, and quarterback coach Kent Austin combined to form a three-headed play-calling monster that made it impossible for everyone to be on the same page.

Despite three leads in the fourth quarter, no coach seemed in sync with the other. Payton Thorne had his share of mistakes as well, with the freedom to change a play at the line of scrimmage once it finally made its way in from one of the three other Auburn play callers.

That blame resides with the head coach, first.

In the end, the Tigers limped to yet another losing season and fingers pointed every which way except at the actual guilty parties. With jobs literally riding on the 2025 season outcome, how can these two start pulling in the same direction?

Close but Not Good Enough

In a season that saw Auburn suffer three one-possession losses, you'd think that would enough to force the head coach and coordinator to bond. However, the story turns worse when you realize the team possessed three fourth-quarter leads, only to squander the lead and ultimately lose the game.

For example, with less than five minutes to go and a five-point lead over Oklahoma, Auburn simply needed to kill the game. Auburn drove into Oklahoma territory, and the Tigers needed four yards to convert on third down to bleed the clock. To that point, the Sooners could not stop Jarquez Hunter.

Running for 97 yards on 17 carries, Hunter would either get those four yards or enough yards to go for it on fourth down. Payton Thorne managed to hit the open linebacker for the game-sealing pick-6. Who called that play? More importantly, why call a pass? If Thorne changed the play as Freeze claimed he did in a loss to Georgia, why does he have that autonomy?

In the end, Freeze delegated too much, causing miscommunication, confusion, and poor on-field decisions.

Defined Roles

Hugh Freeze is the head coach. Derrick Nix is the offensive coordinator. Kent Austin coaches the quarterbacks. Why are each of them calling plays? That’s unheard of.

From a historical point, quarterback coaches that aren’t also offensive coordinators operate in the background. Their sole job remains to ready the quarterback room, nothing more, nothing less. Going forward one of these three needs to be the lone voice.

Retrospective Understanding

When you look back at Payton Thorne’s tenure on the Plains, a couple of thoughts surface. How can you expect any quarterback to succeed when three separate coaches want different things from him? In hindsight, Thorne looking indecisive and occasionally operating as such actually makes sense.

Now, would he lead the team to ten wins with just one voice in his ear? No. However, Freeze and the Tigers can’t make the same mistake with new quarterback Jackson Arnold in 2025. The communication from play caller to quarterback on game day needs to be clear and precise. Otherwise the cluster of voices dooms the offense to failure… again.

Business First

Coaching is a fraternity, a network of highly-skilled professionals that want to guide a winning on-field product. Be that as it may, Freeze’s apparent attempt to run a team while juggling ego and coddle subordinates hurt the team. In a country founded on free speech, football coaching does not need to be a democracy. It’s a dictatorship.

Overview

With his job on the line in 2025 , Freeze has an easy choice. Either stand up and claim the play calling or delegate that power to Nix or Austin. Too often the offense, despite apparent talent, fell flat and could not close games.

The play calling consensus approach needed to end last season. If the three-headed monster survives in 2025, Freeze, Nix, and Austin will likely be out of a job in 2026.