Auburn University's first season under coach Hugh Freeze has ended with Maryland losing three straight and winning the Music City Bowl. But hope is not lost on the plains.

Freeze has brought momentum to Auburn's recruiting efforts that the program hasn't had in a long time.

The official markup is as follows Auburn corner:

Recruiting: a

This was by no means a year-long build. Hugh Freeze's first job will be to pick up the pieces from the Brian Harsin era and start building momentum in his recruiting efforts, adding five-stars DeMarcus Riddick and Perry Thompson from Georgia and Alabama. Flip it over and do it before coaching the game.

From a recruiting standpoint, Auburn was and is playing with the big boys again. Freeze also flipped Cam Coleman from Texas A&M during the season. Coleman is one of the best wide receivers in the nation and is an immediate upgrade over anyone on the current roster. When it comes to recruiting, it would be hard to give Freese anything less than an A grade.

On the field: D-

The product Hugh Freeze put on the field was frankly not good enough. Freeze brought in Peyton Thorne from Michigan State, but he struggled all season, had perhaps his worst performance in a bowl game, and Auburn's passing game was abysmal all season.

The close games between the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama are a relief, but unfortunately, mental victories are not realistic in high-level college football.

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After three straight wins where Auburn seemed to be gaining momentum, they were embarrassed by New Mexico State at home, but that probably says more about the three SEC teams Auburn beat than it does about Auburn. It would be.

With a very favorable schedule, the Tigers won only six games and should have at least had a winning record. No one expected Auburn to compete for the SEC title in 2023. But six wins on that schedule was, and still is, unacceptable.

whole: C

It's always been a process, and given the fact that there's positive momentum building in recruiting efforts, everything took its toll and Freeze earned an overall average grade of C. Auburn needs to take a step forward in 2024, but with Peyton Thorne expected to return and much of the talent at receiver coming from unproven freshmen, Freeze has no plans to take a step forward in 2025. We may be looking at it in the year of the new year.

Michael Brauner is a senior sports analyst and contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP