Auburn’s head coach, Hugh Freeze, is set to reassume playcalling responsibilities for the offense in the upcoming 2024 season, sources revealed to ESPN. Freeze, renowned as one of college football’s premier playcallers, previously handled playcalling duties at his coaching stops with Arkansas State, Ole Miss, and Liberty. However, during his inaugural season as Auburn’s head coach, he brought in offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery as the primary playcaller.
Following Auburn’s offensive struggles in the previous season, ranking 11th in the SEC for scoring offense and facing difficulties in six games where they scored 20 or fewer points, Freeze decided to make changes. On Friday, he announced the dismissal of Montgomery after just one season. Freeze explored various options for the offensive leadership next season, ultimately opting to personally handle playcalling, acknowledging the heightened demands on head coaches in the modern college football landscape.
While Freeze occasionally played a more active role in playcalling last season, Montgomery primarily held the responsibility. Freeze, having previously discussed the Alabama offensive coordinator position with Nick Saban during his coaching hiatus, faced SEC restrictions preventing his hire until Ole Miss was off NCAA probation. Gus Malzahn also expressed interest in bringing Freeze as Auburn’s offensive coordinator before Freeze took the Liberty job.
During Freeze’s tenure at Ole Miss, his offenses averaged over 32 points per game in his final two seasons. Additionally, his 2020 and 2021 offenses at Liberty both ranked in the top 25 nationally for scoring. With Freeze reclaiming playcalling duties, Kent Austin is slated to transition to quarterbacks coach after his role in quality control and special assistant positions at Auburn in 2023. Austin, a former Ole Miss quarterback, previously worked with Freeze at Liberty as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, bringing a wealth of experience, including his time in the CFL as a head coach and general manager, as well as Cornell’s head coach from 2010 to ’12.