To the folks who happen to live nearby Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, pardon the noise this weekend.

Freeze went as far as to ask a local media member during the SEC teleconference Wednesday afternoon if they had a spare bedroom available this weekend as Freeze’s house is all booked up with family members who are flocking to The Plains to watch he and the Tigers open the 2023 season against UMass Saturday afternoon.

“I’m blessed to have an incredible family and obviously, our entire immediate family is here, but so many more are nearby in Mississippi and are making the trip. From uncles to aunts to all of our parents and cousins,” Freeze said in Wednesday’s teleconference. “We’ve got our hands full.”

Fortunately for Freeze, he was able to delegate the task of arranging his family’s stay to his wife Jill and daughter Ragan.

After all, he’s got a game to prepare for.

When Auburn and UMass kickoff against each other Saturday afternoon, Freeze admits that it might not be the most comfortable situation he’s been in. And that’s not because of the east Alabama heat or the clunky headset he’ll wear over his visor.

Rather it’s because the situation of this season opener at Auburn feels unlike any he’s ever experienced in his coaching career.

“It’s been the most challenging and uncomfortable new position that I’ve ever had with just everything that’s about college football now,” Freeze said Wednesday.

From navigating the transfer portal to recruiting, it’s been a whirlwind since Freeze arrived to The Plains late last November.

Freeze welcomed more than 20 transfers and a combined 40 new players into Auburn’s locker room this offseason – of which some didn’t even arrive until this past summer. That said, 247Sports praised Freeze and Auburn’s success in the portal, ranking the Tigers’ transfer portal class No. 5 in the country.

Meanwhile, Freeze and his coaching staff set the recruiting trail ablaze beginning in late July as 5-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick flipped from Georgia and was the first domino to fall in a handful of recruiting wins.

As uncomfortable as the rapidly changing landscape of college football might be for Freeze, his success in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail point to his ability to adapt to change quickly.

But sometimes, when changes pile and pile atop of one another, that feeling of discomfort can quickly creep back up.

With so many new faces around the program, piecing it together in what felt like just a few weeks’ time,  has Freeze feeling understandably anxious heading into the 2023 season.

“It’s been quite challenging,” Freeze admitted Wednesday. “And still, quite truthfully, you’re still trying to put the pieces together… It’s a little more difficult than I’ve found at previous stops when I’ve taken over.”

Earlier this month, Freeze named junior Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne the Tigers’ starting quarterback.

Thorne, who has only been at Auburn since May, went on to be named one of four of Auburn’s team captains Tuesday night. He joins fellow transfer Elijah McAllister and seniors Luke Deal and Kam Stutts as the Tigers’ leaders this season.

And if you think two new guys being captains is a shock, look around at the rest of the roster.

Looking at the depth chart Auburn released Monday, which should be taken with a grain of salt after being denounced by Freeze, there are 10 positions in which a transfer is listed as a starter or co-starter.

“We have so many new faces, new spots, new staff, some nagging injuries we’re dealing with also… It’s very hard to gauge exactly where you are,” Freeze said. “I feel really good about our running back room, I feel really good about our tight end room. And I think for the most part after that, everything is kinda unproven. So it’s really hard to gauge.”

Throughout fall camp, Freeze has mentioned how difficult it’s been to walk away from practices and scrimmages completely satisfied. That’s especially been the case when discussing Auburn’s run game, which has been productive in scrimmages.

But does that point to Auburn’s running back room being good? Or does that point to Auburn’s run defense being bad?

The jury is still out on that. And that makes Freeze understandably uncomfortable, especially knowing what kind of animal the Southeastern conference is.

“My only previous experience in this conference was when I took over at Ole Miss. I think the conference is considerably better now than it was then,” Freeze said. “Which makes it even more uncomfortable.”

Freeze’s comments about being uncomfortable are likely to draw concerns from Auburn fans. But solace can be found in just about any quote ever said about change. In summary, in order to change, one must become uncomfortable.

After a disastrous two seasons under Bryan Harsin, an uncomfortable Hugh Freeze might be the change the Auburn football program needed.

We begin to find out Saturday afternoon, when Freeze and the Tigers take to Pay Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

And if Freeze can find comfort in anything, it’s this: Unlike his previous visits to Jordan-Hare Stadium, Freeze gets to stand on the home sideline this time around.

Freeze mentioned how excited he was to stand on the home sideline back in mid-July at SEC Media Days. At the time, Auburn had just announced that it had sold the most season tickets in program history.

Since then, Auburn has not only announced that Saturday’s game against UMass is a sellout, but that the capacity of Jordan-Hare Stadium has also grown. Together, both announcements pave the way for Saturday’s crowd to be the biggest in program history.

“It’s going to be a magical experience in that stadium, provided that we play well,” Freeze said in Monday’s press conference.

“And that’s the pressure or the anxiousness that you feel sitting in this chair. We’re just waiting to deliver. We have an incredible fan base that has welcomed us so much. They bought season tickets, we’ve expanded the stadium size, and there will be a capacity for Saturday. You hear all those things, and you just so badly want to deliver.”