AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze made no bones about it throughout his first season with the Tigers: Forget the on-field results in Year 1, the focus is on recruiting and acquiring talent.

That's a bit of hyperbole, of course − wins and losses always matter − but it's why he elected to hire Philip Montgomery to be his offensive coordinator. Montgomery, who was fired Friday, came to the Plains after spending eight seasons as the coach at Tulsa. The former leader of the Golden Hurricane had called plays before and had been around the game for more than three decades, boasting a resume that included coordinating Baylor's offense when Robert Griffin III won the Heisman in 2011 and winning the Broyles Award in 2013.

But the combination between Freeze and Montgomery didn't work at Auburn. The Tigers were held to 21 or fewer points in seven of their 13 games, began the SEC slate by averaging 105 passing yards in four straight losses and finished with the conference's No. 10 offense in terms of total yards per game.

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It's not completely fair to Montgomery, who didn't exactly have an abundance of talent to deploy. But something had to change, and Freeze has chosen for that change to be a new offensive coordinator.

Freeze is now at a crossroads, though, and whatever option he picks will be telling about his headspace.

Path No. 1: Make another hire similar to that of Montgomery − someone who has had success elsewhere as a play caller who he feels comfortable handing the keys of the offense to − and hope it works differently this time. Someone like South Alabama OC Major Applewhite falls into this category, as he has previous head coaching experience and led the Jaguars to the nation's No. 24 offense in 2023.

Path No. 2: Call the plays himself. He can make a hire, but that person would be the offensive coordinator in name only. They'd help Freeze prepare a game plan throughout the week, but Freeze would be much more involved in the football aspect of things than he was in his first year. An example here could be elevating special assistant to the HC Kent Austin to be the QBs coach, leaving Freeze to assume the responsibilities of an OC.

There's no right answer or wrong answer. Ask a couple of Auburn fans and you might get two different responses.

But whatever choice Freeze makes will be indicative, and it'll impact how the next couple of years take shape.

That first option would allow for Freeze to continue his emphasis on recruiting, which has seemed to work. The Tigers landed the No. 7 class in the country in 2024 and currently hold the No. 3 class in 2025 with eight verbal commitments. But what if the new OC has a season similar to what Montgomery was able to do? Do you fire him, too? Three offensive coordinators in three seasons isn't exactly a sign of a healthy program.

Which is where the second option comes into play. Freeze didn't get to this place in his career for no reason; he knows how to run an offense and has done it before in the SEC. But what if this hurts recruiting? Is it a short-sighted move to change course in Year 2?

I'm not here to tell you what'll work, and I'm glad it's not my job to make the decision. That responsibility is why Freeze makes upwards of $6.5 million per year.

Freeze's decision will show whether or not he feels the pressure to win just yet. Choosing route No. 1 shows that his emphasis on recruiting will remain, and that he doesn't necessarily feel someone breathing down his neck. Opting for route No. 2 will show some desperation, but maybe desperation isn't a bad thing.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: How Hugh Freeze's OC move will define Auburn football's future