Paul Finebaum names ‘most unfortunate coach on the hot seat’ in college football

Hot seat debate intensifies as Auburn officiating disputes fuel SEC scrutiny.

College football analyst Paul Finebaum shared sympathy for Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze after another bad call derailed the game against the Georgia Bulldogs. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The conversation around Auburn shifted again on Monday. On McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum zeroed in on Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and framed his recent frustrations with officiating as more than a one-week storyline. His comments came after another volatile weekend for the Tigers, a tense primetime game against Georgia that swung on a goal-line sequence and a flurry of flags that flipped both momentum and mood inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The scrutiny is not new, and it is not subtle.

Finebaum argued that Freeze’s predicament is distinct because judgment calls have intersected with Auburn’s season at decisive moments. The Tigers built a double-digit lead against Georgia, then watched a would-be touchdown dissolve into a fumble return and a half that would not end. Freeze’s visible anger matched the confusion, and it echoed frustrations that have lingered since an admitted officiating error contributed to Auburn’s loss to Oklahoma.

The cumulative effect, Finebaum suggested, has pulled Freeze into a debate that extends beyond play calling or roster building.

Paul Finebaum Calls Hugh Freeze ‘Most Unfortunate Coach On The Hot Seat’

Finebaum did not mince words about the circumstances surrounding Freeze. “I think the situation with Hugh Freeze is a little bit more complicated and I’m not going to be the guy who rails on because I know everybody’s already done it. He is the most unfortunate coach on the hot seat I’ve ever seen based on the bad officiating calls a couple weeks ago.

"And obviously, the big call that everybody is talking about from Saturday night. And one bad call can define a career. Had the officials gotten that one right, I dare say we’d be having a different conversation today. It’s extremely frustrating, to me and everyone listening, to have this consistent problem continue. That should have been a touchdown. Auburn should have gone ahead 17-0. And had Auburn gone up 17-0, I firmly believe they would have won the game.”

Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze reacts in anger and frustration over a bad call during the Tigers' matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday. | John Reed-Imagn Images

In Finebaum’s view, the mix of replay decisions, timing rulings, and enforcement choices has placed Freeze in a no-win frame where outcomes are shaded by judgments that cannot be coached around. The point was not to absolve Auburn of execution issues.

It was noted that a string of officiating moments has repeatedly intersected with Auburn’s biggest possessions and has, in his eyes, reshaped the narrative around Freeze’s tenure.

Auburn Officiating Controversies Against Georgia And Oklahoma

The Georgia game offered a fresh flashpoint. Unranked Auburn jumped in front of the No. 10 Bulldogs, then neared the goal line late in the second quarter when Jackson Arnold plunged toward the plane. The ball came loose, Kyron Jones carried it the other way, and after a lengthy review neither side got six points while Georgia took over at the 1.

Freeze spiked his headset after the ruling. Georgia then drove 88 yards for a field goal, aided by two personal fouls on hits to Gunner Stockton, trimming the margin at halftime. The final two minutes stretched past the half-hour mark. Freeze and athletic director John Cohen were shown arguing with officials as the teams left the field, and Freeze told ESPN’s Molly McGrath that he believed the nose of the ball had broken the plane.

Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) was at the center of a critical missed call by SEC officials during the Tigers' loss to Georgia. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Freeze later said it felt like Auburn was not getting many breaks. He questioned a stoppage that reset the situation rather than producing a delay or timeout. Quarterback Jackson Arnold kept an even tone, saying the group stayed positive and still led at the break. Defensive end Keldric Faulk described the sequence as devastating and admitted it carried over. The frustration connected to earlier weeks, when the SEC acknowledged an officiating error in the loss to Oklahoma involving a “hideout” look that produced a Sooners touchdown.

The conversation remains tense because close calls have aligned with close games, and because those moments influence how Freeze’s job security is discussed.

The Tigers will host Missouri on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.