Auburn Tigers Begin 2025 Season with New Theme: 'Expectant'

The Auburn Tigers officially kicked off fall camp on Wednesday, marking the dawn of year three on the Plains for head coach Hugh Freeze.

Considering the substantial roster upgrades acquired throughout the offseason, offensive and defensive coordinator carryover, and exceptional talent all over the field on both sides of the ball, many hold high aspirations looking forward to what the Tigers can accomplish in 2025.

Freeze appears to be no different, expressing a similar outlook at Wednesday morning’s press conference and revealing one particular concept he wishes to instill in his players ahead of fall camp and beyond.

“I go away, as most of you know, and spend a little time in a cabin in the mountains, as I’ve done for a long time, and I think through, ‘Okay, what am I going to teach this year? What are the themes each week? What is the overriding word?’,” Freeze explained to the media. “(Expectant) is the word I came up with, and I think everybody is kind of following that lead.”

After examining Auburn's new and improved squad and staff composition, with both coordinators for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2018, Freeze has reasonable cause to believe that his Tigers can get over the hump and begin showing proof of concept on the field.

It’s no secret that Auburn brought in a plethora of elite pieces through the transfer portal – most notably starting quarterback Jackson Arnold from Oklahoma – to complement the Tigers’ promising returnees who exhibited great potential last season.

Wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr., left tackle Xavier Chaplin, projected starting right tackle Mason Murphy, and defensive backs Raion Strader and Rayshawn Pleasant are other portal additions expected to contribute heavily for Auburn this season, just to name a few.

Excluding former wideout and fifth-round NFL Draft selection Keandre Lambert-Smith, Freeze also retained the entirety of last year’s wide receiver production, including former five-star Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, and Malcolm Simmons, a feat Freeze often isn’t credited for enough.

Player retention on a losing team in the transfer portal era is a rare feat. 

On the defensive side of the ball, projected first-round NFL Draft pick Keldric Faulk returns as one of the best defensive ends in college football.

With an arsenal of talent backing him in the secondary, including Jay Crawford, Kayin Lee, Kaleb Harris, and potentially Texas A&M transfer safety Jacoby Mathews claiming the starting role, DJ Durkin’s unit could present a nightmare for opposing offenses.

And don’t forget about the abundance of incoming true freshmen like AnQuon Fegans, Eric Winters, and Blake Woodby, who will provide essential depth to this already star-studded room.

On paper, this team is loaded – it’s just a matter of executing and putting the proper players in positions to succeed.

“We are expectant. We are expectant of being a really good football team that competes in every single game and has a chance to win every game,” Freeze said. “Hopefully, we’re better in some of those critical moments and we flip some of those close losses into wins, and we’re expectant of that. And hopefully our kids are following that.”

In a video Auburn Football posted on social media earlier this week, players were asked to use one word to describe fall camp.

Multiple players echoed Freeze’s message and unequivocally believe it will act as a defining theme of the season.

“See, the word I’m going to use is expectant because that’s the word Coach Freeze uses,” sophomore defensive tackle Malik Blocton said in the video. “That’s what I’m going with this year.”

Freshman wide receiver Sam Turner and freshman linebacker Bryce Deas also declared “expectant” as their answer.

Freeze later discussed an additional method of instruction that he delivers to the team, and he appreciates his players for dialing in and reciprocating the lessons being infused into the locker room.

“I’m teaching ‘a Proverb away keeps stupid away’ during camp and, hopefully, that impacts all of us also in life and in football,” Freeze added. 

“But, the overriding theme is expectant, so I’m glad the kids are listening and they feel the same.”