Auburn HC Hugh Freeze offers insight on how he feels following the prostate cancer diagnosis

Hugh Freeze's Auburn Tigers have experienced struggles lately, but none are probably greater than what he is going through in his personal life. On Feb. 28, Auburn University announced that Freeze had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in the early stages.

Since it was caught in the early stages, he has a positive outlook and is expected to make a full recovery. Freeze is continuing with his coaching duties while undergoing treatment.

On Tuesday, he spoke with the media about how he feels after his cancer diagnosis:

"I've tried to decide how I would approach the public view of this, and I'm really transparent, I don't know if you should be. I'm thankful for all the doctors and the insight that they have. I struggle believing that I actually have cancer because I feel great and am in probably in better shape than I have been in 10 years. So, it's a battle for me mentally.

"I don't want to alter my body, and yet you have this mental knowledge of knowing they say you have some cancer cells in your body. There is this struggle that you have, and then you have, in all honesty, if you choose to go with this procedure, I'm still a young man, it changes this, it changes that. You're like, 'Oh my god, I might need to wear a diaper for a while.' That doesn't really excite me."

Freeze said he took some time to feel bad for himself but is now moving forward with a positive outlook:

"It's a challenge. I had my 30 minutes to an hour of self-pity and anger, and then truthfully I flipped a switch and said, I have a chance to practice what I've preached for 33 years of how to walk through a challenge."

Hugh Freeze is preparing for battle on and off the field

Hugh Freeze appears ready for his battle with cancer, and it sounds like his prognosis is good. However, on the field, he has other challenges to deal with. Since arriving in 2023, Freeze has led the Tigers to two losing seasons, and they took a step back in 2024, only winning five games.

Heading into 2025, Hugh Freeze will be looking to get the Auburn Tigers back to a winning record. One positive addition is former five-star quarterback recruit Jackson Arnold. After two seasons at Oklahoma, Arnold transferred to Auburn in December and should have a productive impact on the Tigers.