The Auburn Tigers reportedly have their next head football coach and, after some reports of concern from its fanbase and alumni, they’ve decided to move forward anyway and hire Liberty’s Hugh Freeze.
Auburn is finalizing a deal to hire Liberty coach Hugh Freeze, sources tell @SINow.
Freeze would return to the SEC, where in 2017 Ole Miss fired him amid NCAA and personal scandal. In 12 years as a college head coach, he’s had one losing season.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 28, 2022
The news comes on the heels of reports that many in the Auburn community bristled at the idea of hiring someone who oversaw a program that committed various recruiting and academic violations, not to mention various other indiscretions. Still, it appears that the school could live with that given Freeze’s track record on the field in the last five years at Liberty.
Freeze oversaw Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016, leading the Rebels to a 10-3 season in 2015 and going 39-25 in that span. However, a massive NCAA violation scandal ended up costing him not only his job but most of those wins after it was revealed that Ole Miss committed numerous recruiting violations and Freeze himself had used a school phone to communicate with an escort service on multiple occasions.
After some time away, Freeze was hired at Liberty where he was given a second chance. He took advantage of it by turning the Flames into a perennial bowl team, though he courted controversy by DMing a sexual assault victim to chastise her for criticizing his AD. Still, he’s won enough football games for his off-the-field actions to be forgiven, it seems. At least by major college football administrators.
Freeze agreed to a contract extension with Liberty in October through 2030, but of course, that didn’t mean anything.
There’s certainly more to come with Freeze and Auburn but for now, the reactions to his hiring have been pretty strong.
Fire Gus Malzahn only to hire Hugh Freeze two years later? WOOF https://t.co/otnyYa1hKd
— Nick de la Torre (@delatorre) November 28, 2022
The ex-Mississippi State AD hiring the former Ole Miss football coach who was fired amid a scandal to be in the same division as both schools is one of the funnier/wilder dynamics in college.
The Egg Bowl never sleeps. https://t.co/QKd81yw6GZ
— Ben Portnoy (@bportnoy15) November 28, 2022
Hugh Freeze had am SEC record of 19-21 even counting the games the NCAA takes out
— Billy Gomila (@BillyGomila) November 28, 2022
Freeze has poor self-control and shouldn't have sent that DM. But that's not even the thing that should bother you.
The thing that should bother you is that the Baylor rape scandal AD wanted a coach and thought, "Damn, Hugh Freeze is my guy." And then Hugh went to bat for him.
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) November 28, 2022
New leadership, same Auburn https://t.co/YKXdhCCK01
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) November 28, 2022
This is basically the SEC equivalent of if Oregon had an opening this year, tried and failed to hire Dickert away from Wazzu, and then hired Rolovich instead. https://t.co/XbmI2DArMR
— UW Dawg Pound (@UWonSBN) November 28, 2022
Not a great look for Auburn with all of Freeze's baggage. Shocked a new AD would make that kind of hire but…SEC! https://t.co/TizIUDASbu
— Jake Winderman (@jakewinderman) November 28, 2022
