Founder and CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving, Auburn board of trustee member, and prominent booster Jimmy Rane spoke to reporters at the dinner for his charity golf tournament on Thursday.

Rane didn’t take long to point out the differences between this year’s event and some in more recent years, perhaps taking at what could be perceived as a shot at former Tigers coach Bryan Harsin.

“We’ve always had the Auburn football coach here going back to Pat Dye,” Rane said. “We’ve had every Auburn coach except for the last one. The previous coach came and played golf, but he didn’t come to the banquet, so we’re glad to have Hugh (Freeze) here.”

Four-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, two-time Super Bowl MVP, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw was the keynote speaker.

Bradshaw and Freeze weren’t the only notables in attendance. Pro Football Hall of Famer and Auburn alum Bo Jackson, former Tigers quarterback Jason Campbell, running back Ronnie Brown, and basketball coach Bruce Pearl were also in the building.

A large smile on Rane’s face appeared when reporters asked him about the Freeze, who is a handful of months into the job.

“Well, he’s undefeated and unscored on,” Rane said. “He hasn’t played a game yet, so he’s undefeated, but I love him. I think he fits Auburn really well. I think he’s going to do a great job.”

Rane carefully discussed the status of the roster before Freeze arrived.

“The poor guy is working himself to death. He’s working 24/7,” Rane said. “But the cupboard was pretty bare. Hugh is working hard. He’s found some good players. He’s working hard. I’m confident that he will do a great job.”

When Bradshaw asked him to elaborate, Rane hesitated to go further about the roster. Instead, he opted to praise Freeze further. He believes that Freeze is on a solid track with the work done in the transfer portal and high school recruiting.

“Recruiting. He understands recruiting,” Rane said. “He’s recruiting non-stop. He understands that to recruit, you’ve got to get out. You’ve got to go see the players. You have to go see their mamas and their daddies. You have to see their high school coaches. They have to know that you care about them and want to help them succeed. You can’t sit back and not engage with them.”

Rane, Freeze, and the Auburn fan base will see if months of work start to pay off when the Tigers kickoff the season vs. UMass on Sept. 2 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.