Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze is renowned for his offensive game planning, play calling, and quarterback coaching. In his first year with the Tigers, Freeze concentrated heavily on recruiting, and there were noticeable shortcomings in game planning during the 2023 season.
This year, Freeze has made significant staffing changes, including hiring new coordinators for both offense and defense. Derrick Nix from Ole Miss has been brought in as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach. Questions arise about whether Nix will be the primary play caller and how involved Freeze will be.
“(Nix is) going to have free rein on the early downs because we’ve all planned it and agreed upon it,” Freeze told The Montgomery Advertiser. “… He’s got free rein there. And Kent is probably going to handle third-and-long situations. He’s always done that well. Obviously, we aim to avoid those situations.”
Freeze highlighted that one of last year’s issues was his unfamiliarity with former OC Phillip Montgomery’s offensive terminology, which hindered his ability to assist. This will change this year with terminology Freeze is comfortable with.
“Now that it’s back to our terminology that I’m very comfortable with, once we have a successful play or it’s not third-and-long, I’ll have the freedom and flexibility to jump in. I usually control our landmarks, for specific plays and strategies we want to implement.
“So, it’ll be a mixture and a combination. But it’ll be something that we’ve all agreed upon, this is the shell of the game plan until we need to make adjustments.”
Auburn football fall camp start date
The summer is nearly over, and fall camp is approaching quickly. Auburn football begins its season at the end of August and will host Alabama A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Between Big Cat Weekend on July 27 — the Tigers’ biggest recruiting event of the year — and the August 31 kickoff will be fall camp. Players are expected to report to campus on July 30, with practice starting on August 1. Over the next three weeks, the Tigers will engage in 15 preseason practices.
