Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze seems to be setting rather modest expectations for his team this year, if his appearance on the “Next Round Live” podcast Friday is any indication.

Asked by host Landrum Roberts if he felt “pressure” to “win X amount of games” in 2025, Freeze answered in the affirmative … in a manner of speaking.

“I’m not a fool,” Freeze began. “I think we’ve got to go to a bowl game.”

Reaching a bowl game in Year 3 seems to be a pretty low standard, considering that every Auburn coach in this century — including Freeze — has done so by at least his second season. Freeze’s first Tigers team finished 6-7 — losing to Maryland in the Music City Bowl — before last year’s team ended up 5-7 and out of the postseason.

Freeze went on to note that the program he inherited from predecessor Bryan Harsin was not filled with overwhelming talent after some lean recruiting years and mass defections via the transfer portal. Auburn has not finished with a winning record since going 6-5 in 2020, Gus Malzahn’s final season.

Freeze has enjoyed success on the recruiting trail since arriving at Auburn prior to the 2023 season, however. His 2024 signing class ranked 10th nationally according to 247 Sports Composite, while the 2025 class checked in at No. 8.

“I think our administration understands,” Freeze said. “Look, I inherited a program that didn’t have a Top 25 recruiting class for four years. … We’ve had now two full recruiting classes, both of them ranked in the Top 10. I think one more, then your roster looks complete.

“But I’m not naïve. … We could have won more games last year. And we’ve got to make sure we’re excellent in those areas that cost us, that put us in a position to be at least bowl-eligible if not more. I see no reason that we shouldn’t do that. Those are expectations that our (fans) should expect.

“… Obviously, I’m a competitor and I want to deliver to the Auburn people. It’s time for us to start doing that.”

Here’s the full clip:

Auburn opens the 2025 season at Baylor on Aug. 29, a Friday night.