"I’m not apologizing": Hugh Freeze hits back at haters over his passionate golfing quest that made headlines in 2025 offseason

Auburn Tigers coach Hugh Freeze made headlines during the offseason for reasons unrelated to his program. It was revealed this week that Freeze has been spending a lot more time on the golf course than all of his fellow SEC coaches.

On the latest edition of the "See Ball Get Ball" podcast, Freeze responded to these reports.

"This is that time where people are looking for things to write about,” Freeze said. “And I do love golf. I enjoy playing, but what people don’t realize is, you know, I assure you that I never missed a camp day or a recruiting day but if camp got over at three o’clock one day, and Jill (Freeze’s wife) and I go out at 4:30, we absolutely might do that. I’m not apologizing for that part of it. But my focus is 100% on getting Auburn in that win column this fall."

The report by AL.com on Freeze's golfing habits found out that he had played 10 rounds of golf in June and has been on the course for more than 20 rounds this year.

The concerns arise from the impact that it has on the Auburn program. The offseason is the time when teams practice for the upcoming season. Freeze said he has been attending these sessions and given that Auburn is facing numerous top SEC teams in the upcoming season, he must be helping the team be as strong as they can be.

Moreover, the offseason is also the time for programs to create their recruitment classes for the future. In this period, many top players commit to various programs for the 2026 season. This is something where the Tigers are possibly lacking.

247Sports ranks their 2026 class as the 78th best in the country and is worst in the SEC by a long distance.

If Freeze wants to see his team succeed in the coming years, this class is going to have to grow from the nine players they have already signed, none of whom are ranked more than four stars.

Lane Kiffin responds to Hugh Freeze's golfing habits

Hugh Freeze's golfing habits have unsurprisingly caught the attention of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin, who is known for his "unique" use of social media, praised Freeze's golf game. He responded to a post where Freeze mentioned winning a Ryder Cup-style competition.

"Great job Coach!! Game is on," Kiffin wrote.

Meanwhile, Kiffin's Rebels are the ninth-best SEC class in 2026 recruitment. But, in comparison to Auburn, they have many more four-star players and a stronger group.