Kalen DeBoer, Hugh Freeze both find themselves on dubious list headed into 2025

As the 2025 college football season approaches, two high-profile head coaches — Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze — are making headlines for an unexpected reason. Both have landed on a “dubious list” compiled by a national sports outlet, ranking coaches under the most pressure to deliver in the upcoming season.

For DeBoer, the scrutiny comes despite a strong track record. After taking over the Crimson Tide program in 2024, he faced the unenviable task of following in Nick Saban’s legendary footsteps. While his debut season was solid, falling short of an SEC title and missing the College Football Playoff has amplified expectations from a fan base used to nothing less than national contention.

Freeze’s situation at Auburn is different, but equally tense. Entering his third year with the Tigers, he’s yet to produce the kind of breakthrough that could reestablish Auburn as a consistent threat in the SEC. Close losses and inconsistency have left some questioning whether his rebuild is moving fast enough.

The “dubious list” — which also includes coaches from across the Power Five — highlights the immense pressure that comes with leading programs in the SEC. Both DeBoer and Freeze are tasked with navigating one of the toughest schedules in college football while managing rosters under the new realities of NIL and the transfer portal.

Publicly, both coaches have brushed off the ranking, insisting that pressure is simply part of the job. “We welcome high expectations here,” DeBoer said in a recent interview. Freeze echoed the sentiment, adding, “The only list I care about is the final standings in December.”

Still, with SEC media days complete and kickoff drawing closer, the spotlight on these two coaches will only intensify — and in the SEC, every game can shape a legacy.