"Auburn you need to fire Hugh Freeze" - CFB fans react as Tigers miss out on 4-star QB Landon Duckworth to South Carolina

Four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth announced his commitment to South Carolina on Friday. The Class of 2026 prospect chose the Gamecocks over Hugh Freeze's Auburn Tigers, which can be counted as a big fumble from the veteran coach.

Since Duckworth was another good player Auburn missed out on recruiting, fans slammed Freeze for his underwhelming offseason.

"Supposed QB guru Hugh Freeze getting lockered for a top QB by Shane Beamer. Auburn you need to fire his a**," one fan tweeted.

"Freeze is done," another added.

"Hugh lost 2 in a day.. tough," a third fan commented.

Others also took the opportunity to mock Freeze and Auburn.

"GET IN THAT LOCKER FREEZE," one wrote.

"HUGH FREEZE MIGHT BE GONE BEFORE THE SEASON EVEN STARTS," a user tweeted.

"Freeze gonna have to spot the ball and play QB himself at this rate," another commented.

Fans previously trolled Freeze after they found out he spent several days golfing in June rather than focusing on recruitments. Reports from the USGA's Golf Handicap Information Network showed that Freeze had played almost a dozen rounds of golf this summer.

However, Auburn athletic director John Cohen defended his coach and said that he has been working hard behind the scenes.

A look at Landon Duckworth's stats from the 2024 season

Landon Duckworth had an excellent 2024 season at Jackson High School in Alabama. The quarterback recorded 3,439 passing yards (67% pass completion rate) and 39 touchdowns while adding 648 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also named the Back of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Jackson High School QB Landon Duckworth - Source: Imagn

Across three years at Jackson, Duckworth has posted 5,735 passing yards and 69 touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how the signal-caller fares in his senior year with the team.

Apart from Auburn, Duckworth also received offers from Ole Miss, Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida and Arkansas. However, the QB chose to join South Carolina in 2026.

About the author

Arnold is a journalist covering College Sports and the NFL at Sportskeeda. He has been with the company since August 2022.

Arnold graduated with a degree in Mass Media from MIC. As a sports fanatic, he pursued writing to express his thoughts and opinions on sports events across the globe. He has also worked at Wizcraft and Publicis.

Arnold began supporting the Kansas City Chiefs after watching Patrick Mahomes lead them to Super Bowl glory in 2020. He also has a soft corner for the New York Yankees since he's lived in New York for two years. Arnold's favorite coach of all time is Andy Reid, and the Chiefs dynasty looks far from over.

In his free time, Arnold enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling. He follows several other sports including football, cricket, tennis, basketball, boxing and F1.

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Edited by Satagni Sikder