In February, Auburn head football coach Hugh Freeze was diagnosed with prostate cancer. During a recent appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show, ESPN’s Chris Low shared an update on Freeze’s health and his approach to managing the diagnosis moving forward.
Freeze has been consulting with doctors at UAB and has also received input from specialists at the Mayo Clinic. At 55 years old, Freeze has been told that his cancer appears to be a slower-developing type. Because of that, and given that the only viable windows for surgery would be in January or June, he has chosen to hold off on immediate surgical treatment.
According to Low, Freeze and his wife, Jill, have spent a great deal of time in thoughtful discussion and prayer about the situation. As a man of faith, Freeze is comfortable with monitoring the cancer for now and plans to reassess his condition in January, depending on how the cancer progresses in the meantime.
Freeze has expressed a sense of peace with the decision. He told Low that he’s feeling good and not experiencing any symptoms or health issues at the moment. Ultimately, he feels confident in his current care plan and isn’t ready to undergo surgery unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, doctors were able to detect Hugh Freeze’s cancer early, and it’s considered to be highly treatable and likely curable. He has the option to undergo surgery to remove the cancer either in June, just ahead of the start of Auburn’s football season, or in January of next year.
As reported by Chris Low, Freeze is currently leaning toward postponing the surgery until after the 2025 season. He also addressed his health and future plans publicly during a media appearance on Thursday.
“In consultation with the doctors that we’re dealing with, they think that if mentally I can handle waking up at night knowing you have something in you that you don’t want in you, they don’t feel like I have to be in a hurry to do something,” Freeze said.
“… I can handle the mental side of it. Doc’ called me the other day and he’s been awesome, Doctor Bugg out of Birmingham. He doesn’t think it’s a big difference in June or January, other than can I handle it, the mental side of it? And, I said, ‘Really, Doc, the only time I think about it is when you call me.”
Hugh Freeze is preparing for his third season as Auburn’s head coach. In his first two years, he led the Tigers to an overall record of 11-14, including a 5-11 performance in SEC play. As the 2025 season approaches, Auburn hopes to make significant progress and take a big step forward under Freeze’s leadership.
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