Hugh Freeze shoots arrows at Nick Saban's "gold standard" Alabama ahead of the 2023 season: "I want to beat him"

Hugh Freeze is having a rare second chance as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference and aims to make the most of this opportunity. The Auburn head coach believes in-state rivals Alabama and Nick Saban are the “gold standard” he wants to transform the Tigers into.

After four seasons as the head coach at Liberty, Hugh Freeze made his return to the SEC with Auburn in late 2022. He was previously in charge at Ole Miss for five seasons before he resigned after he was found guilty of numerous NCAA recruiting violations.

Speaking during the SEC Media Days, Hugh Freeze mentioned that Nick Saban is a good friend of his and that he holds a lot of respect for him. However, he has the ambition to beat him in the upcoming Iron Bowl. He further acknowledges how the Alabama coach has had an impact on his career with encouragement.

“When I went through my two years out of the game, he was one of the biggest encouragers that I had, so I can’t lose the respect I have there. But, at the same time, I want to beat him. I want to measure ourselves against the gold standard.”

Hugh Freeze is currently the only active SEC coach with multiple wins over Nick Saban since 2007, beating him twice. He lines up with Gus Malzahn and Les Miles, who have both defeated Saban three times, as the only coaches with more than one win against the Alabama coach.

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Hugh Freeze is aware of the 'Nick Saban' challenge of Iron Bowl

Speaking during the SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Hugh Freeze made it known that he is aware of the challenge that comes with playing Alabama in the Iron Bowl. He revealed he is aware of what it means to the Auburn family and what is expected of the Tigers team.

“The Iron Bowl is what it is. I don’t have to be educated on that. I’ve been a part of some big rivalries and understand that in most polls this would be No. 1. I know what it means to the people that support our university and our football program,”

However, Freeze believes Alabama is currently miles ahead of Auburn in the world of college football. He regards the Crimson Tide at a high level of excellence and quality and expresses Auburn's aspiration to reach and surpass that.

"I’ve always taken great pride in walking into a new program and saying, ‘Listen, they currently are the gold standard and this is what we want to be.’ We welcome that opportunity and we welcome that challenge. I have great respect for Nick, he’s actually a good friend.”

Coming off a 5-7 record in 2022, Hugh Freeze has been saddled with the responsibility of bringing Auburn back to its feet. His appointment appears to be a bit of a gamble for the university, considering his scandalous history. However, his history of success suggests it is one that can actually work out.