The rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers continues off the field right now. With Auburn struggling to find its footing, people have put coach Hugh Freeze on the hot seat as he enters the 2025 season. With the $20.5 million cap, Freeze mentioned having to worry about retaining players instead of focusing on high school recruiting this offseason.
It appears that Auburn coach Hugh Freeze is not making many friends in Tuscaloosa though, as a former Alabama quarterback and two-time national champion took issue with his recent comments. Freeze discussed how his program is working within the parameters of the House vs. NCAA settlement, but others may not be. Let’s take a dive into who took issue with Freeze and what they said.
Former Alabama Crimson Tide QB AJ McCarron Blasts Hugh Freeze
While appearing on The Dynasty podcast, former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron discussed how he believes Freeze is making excuses for his performance with his recent comments.
“Hugh Freeze is full of shit. I think Hugh Freeze is trying to do whatever he can to save face. He’s starting to feel pressure at Auburn – going into his third year, not having the success that the alumni, the boosters, everybody donating a lot of money thought he would have by this point. I think he’s trying to figure out and scramble why they are not successful.”
McCarron would continue and discuss how the state of Alabama is going to look at the Alabama Crimson Tide players more favorably than the Auburn Tigers players.
“The state of Alabama is ran by Alabama fans, Alabama alumni. Whether you like it or not – and I’ve never been one to just absolutely hate on Auburn. Hell, I’ve caught hell from Alabama fans for cheering for some of my friends that played at Auburn. If you are from the state of Alabama, I think it is dumb for you not to sign with the University of Alabama. Your avenue for success with life after football is a lot greater – bigger, however you want to describe it – I think, with being an ex-Alabama football player compared to Auburn.”
The rivalry between the two schools continues to be interesting, and with the season beginning in August, there can be a bit of an additional spark for this year’s Iron Bowl between the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide.
