Freeze was hired to save this program from a 5-7 season in 2022 and he put together a 6-7 season followed by…5-7 last year.

As the Tigers melted away, Freeze pointed to recruiting success as a reason to believe better days were to come. Truly, like a broken record on Monday after underperforming losses, Freeze practically pleaded for time to prove that the culture was not broken and that the stars of the future would bring a better future.

Well, the sun is setting on this mess.

And this new dawn approaches with both the promise and the deferred patience of maddeningly suffering mediocrity.

Freeze thanked Tigers fans last week for sticking with this team when the product on the field made it a chore. A five-game losing streak in P4 was nothing short of embarrassing, not only for the scores but also for the routes taken to that destination. Auburn played primarily against teams from the bottom half of the SEC and still finished 2-6 in league play.

And yet, Jordan-Hare Stadium was almost always packed. Those who suffered losses in the first three SEC home games, as well as Cal in September, were rewarded with the cathartic 43-41 victory over then-SEC contender Texas A&M. It was a nod to what was possible when Freeze and the Auburn machine were getting going.

The 28-14 loss in the Iron Bowl was a reality check.

Auburn wasted four Alabama turnovers, showed flashes but ultimately wasn’t competitive. It showed how far he still had to go.

And, perhaps, the opportunity that awaits this new class.

Make no mistake, there are some real studs in this new class.

Five-star defensive lineman Jared Smith is one of the best recruits signed by Auburn in the last decade. The Thompson product is a 6-6, 245-pound force with the potential to reset opposing lines of scrimmage. Opelika product Malik Autry is another five-star defensive lineman that Auburn needs because SEC games are won and lost straight away.

They are among the top seven prospects in the 247Sports rankings who have signed with Auburn. That doesn’t include Alvin Henderson, the record-breaking Alabama high school running back at Elba. Also outside of those seven years was Elijah Melendez, a linebacker from Kissimmee, Fla., who Freeze called “the most shaken high school linebacker I’ve ever signed.”

Among those seven is Deuce Knight, the four-star left-handed passer Auburn had to flip from Notre Dame. He has the potential to become a star, but he may need to spend a year on the show before moving to prime time.

So that leaves Auburn with a familiar problem facing a season where it needs to end its seven-game losing streak. He needs a play-ready quarterback in the transfer portal, especially with Payton Thorne graduating and his two backups — Hank Brown and Holden Geriner — hitting the market themselves.

There is no excuse for Auburn to slow down the pass rusher transfer portal after seeing the impact of this exact failure on the 2024 season.

The time for patience is over.

My God, my God, wait until next year won’t fly after another top-10 recruiting class.

And Freeze said it best by applying his own pressure with the phrase “you can say you don’t have enough talent.”

It’s time to win.

Or Freeze will skate on thin ice.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ParCasagrande or on Facebook.