Hugh Freeze is already overwhelmed at Auburn

Auburn football could be in for a long season.

Hugh Freeze tempered already low expectations for the team after admitting he's "uncomfortable" as the team opened training camp on Thursday.

Per ESPN's Alex Scarborough, Freeze said, "It makes me feel a little bit anxious that I may be behind in our evaluation of who we are and what we can do." Those aren't ideal words to come out of a head coach's mouth 30 days before his team opens its season.

Luckily for the Tigers, they have a cupcake against UMass scheduled for Week 1.

Part of the problem is Freeze's lack of familiarity with all of his options at quarterback. The program added Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne in the spring. Freeze confessed, "I haven't coached him a single practice and everyone's asking, 'What do you think?' I have no idea."

He's competing primarily with 2022 starter Robby Ashford for the starting role. Underclassmen Sawyer Pate, Jackson Barkley, Holden Geriner, Hank Brown and John Colvin round out the Tigers quarterback room. 

Freeze suggested the competition might not be over by the time the season begins. 

"It may be three games into the season before we know this is absolutely the guy we have to roll with," he said.

If that isn't concerning enough for Auburn fans, Freeze also seems to think a two-quarterback system can work despite that rarely ever being the case. "I'm not sure we can't win games with several of them," he professed.

The outlook for 2023 was already dire for the Tigers and Freeze's comments are perhaps the best indication yet that this could be an ugly year for Auburn.

SEC media members predict the Tigers to finish second-to-last in the SEC West, ahead of only Mississippi State. The program doesn't have anyone on the preseason first or second All-SEC teams.

In July, Freeze noted how quickly he needs to produce positive results to stay at Auburn for long. "We might get three cycles, but we've got to start closing the gap on the elite program in the conference, and when you add Texas and Oklahoma, that only increases the competition also."

When Auburn hired Freeze, it received plenty of criticism. He comes with a lot of baggage. If things go as poorly as they appear they might, Freeze might not be on The Plains long enough to unpack.