Auburn Tigers Stock Report After Fourth Consecutive Loss

Auburn held a 17-10 lead over Missouri with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but the same story unfolded and the Tigers found a way to lose in the end.

Auburn Tigers on SI takes a look at the biggest stock risers and most significant losers as Auburn enters Week 9 with just one Power Four win.

Stock Down: Hugh Freeze

There’s virtually no argument to keeping Freeze at this point, as he is now 1-12 against ranked opponents with a 14-18 overall record at Auburn. Freeze is also 5-15 versus SEC opponents and 9-10 inside of Jordan-Hare Stadium, making him just the third coach in program history to boast a losing record on the Tigers’ home turf.

Auburn simply has a losing culture, and therefore, has morphed into a losing program. The Tigers consistently find ways to lose games week after week, and Freeze continuously fails to put his players in situations to succeed. 

Alex McPherson may have missed three field goals and Cam Coleman may have dropped a potential touchdown pass, but at some point, losing so repetitively and in the same fashion time and time again all comes back to one person.

The program needs a change. Amidst the worst stretch in Auburn football history, fans continue to show their support and sell out Jordan-Hare. The fanbase deserves better, the players deserve better, and the university deserves better, because what is transpiring on the field is embarrassing.

Stock Up: Perry Thompson

One of the most positive outcomes from the Tigers’ loss to Missouri was wide receiver Perry Thompson. He had his best game in an Auburn uniform, recording a career-high four catches for 60 yards. The sophomore also made a spectacular catch on a deep ball over the cornerback’s head, but it was ultimately ruled incomplete.

Thompson was one of the brightest and most reliable players for the Tigers on Saturday. He hasn’t been targeted as much as many fans wish throughout the first half of the season, as his most productive game prior to Missouri was against Georgia, where he tallied two catches for 18 yards.

If Thompson can continue taking steps in the right direction and become more of a weapon on the outside, the Tigers’ receiving core will be even scarier.

Stock Down: Perception of the Program to Recruits

Five-star safety and Auburn commitment Bralan Womack expressed his displeasure with the state of the Tigers’ offense after the game on Saturday, saying how “nothing’s changing” and highlighting the recurring sack issue.

“You’ve got to score 20 or more points to compete. And we’ve done that zero times in SEC play. It doesn’t look like it’s going to change. Nothing’s changing,” Womack said, according to 247Sports’ recruiting analyst Christian Clemente.

“We’re just not making the plays offensively in the big moments,” Womack told On3’s Jeffrey Lee. “We’re taking sacks after sacks after sacks.”

Eventually, if Auburn stays on this path of losing football, recruits will begin to look elsewhere. No offensive player would wish to play in a system as incompetent and inefficient as Freeze’s, and no defensive prospect like Womack wants to contribute for a defense that receives nothing in return from its offense.

The Tigers’ 2026 class sits at No. 33 in 247Sports’ national team recruiting rankings with 14 commits. Auburn has slowly inched its way up the list over the end of the summer and fall, but if its struggles remain prominent and Freeze is fired, don’t be surprised to see a mass exodus from both the current roster and on the recruiting trail.

Stock Up: Defensive Front

D.J. Durkin and the Auburn defense are to credit for why Auburn has remained in the last four games, and the Tigers’ defensive front headlines the unit. Auburn allowed just 58 yards on 24 carries from Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy, who leads the SEC in rushing and averages 120 yards per game on the ground.

The Tigers also posted three sacks, and it seemed like Keldric Faulk, Keyron Crawford, and Chris Murray were in the backfield creating pressure on Beau Pribula all night long – a large reason why Auburn hauled in its two interceptions.

The defense never disappoints, and even Auburn’s offense is stalling, Durkin and company’s stock continues to rise week by week.