Prior to becoming the Auburn Tigers' head football coach, Hugh Freeze spent four seasons at Liberty, where he ended his time as head coach with a 34-15 record, a ranked season in 2020, and three consecutive bowl game wins. Freeze was successful at Liberty, and the Auburn football program was spiraling under Bryan Harsin.
Despite a highly optimistic start on the Plains and major improvements to recruiting, Freeze's Auburn story did not have a happy ending, and he was ultimately fired halfway through his third season with the Tigers. He ended with a 15-19 overall record, a 6-16 record in the conference, and zero winning seasons.