Hugh Freeze came to Atlanta for SEC Media Days armed with confidence.

During his press conference on the main stage, he was asked about how Auburn can leverage its roster improvements to go from bowl game contender to playoff contender.

In his answer, Freeze didn’t hold back.

“I truly believe that in the playoff run we’re going to be in this discussion because I love this team,” Freeze said. “Now, we’ve got to stay healthy, and we need the ball to bounce our way a couple times this year instead of against us, I’m sure, but that’s our full expectation.”

Those are bold expectations for a program that hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 2019. A bowl game contender would be the best way to describe Auburn in recent years, but in two of the last three seasons, the Tigers failed to even reach that mark.

However, Auburn’s roster did take a step forward this offseason. The Tigers have stacked back-to-back top recruiting classes, and this year, added the eighth-best transfer portal class in the country, according to 247Sports.

It included Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold to fill the hole at quarterback, Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr. — the top-ranked receiver in the portal –and a handful of other experienced pieces that will join a roster fraught with young talent.

“Our roster is just better,” Freeze said. “We’re bigger, we’re faster, we’re stronger. Our culture is strong. Our chemistry and carryover in coaching is here for a second consecutive year, and most of our locker room is bought into the standard to which we think it will take for us to win football games.”

Another part of Freeze’s confidence comes from the context of Auburn’s losses in 2024. The Tigers lost three one-possession games and two more games by 10 that Freeze believes Auburn could have won.

He also said that building a winner takes time and Auburn’s stacking of top 10 recruiting classes puts them closer this season than in years past to raise expectations.

“Certainly, I wish we would have won more games a few times, but the future is very bright in my eyes,” Freeze said. “We’ve been blessed everywhere we’ve been to win, and I expect nothing less than that at Auburn.”

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m