Now that Nebraska has announced its new coach, all eyes in the college football world turn towards the Auburn Tigers and who they’ll hire to replace Bryan Harsin. While a lot of people have assumed it was Lane Kiffin’s job if he wanted it, a new report indicates that a former Ole Miss head coach might end up getting the gig instead.
According to ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel, Liberty Flames head coach Hugh Freeze is “in discussion” with Auburn and has been “for weeks.”
Sources: Auburn has been in discussion with Hugh Freeze for weeks about him becoming Auburn's next coach. They won't make a formal offer until after the Iron Bowl, but they've informally discussed contract and numbers with him for more than week.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 26, 2022
According to Thamel, the school “won’t make a formal offer until after the Iron Bowl, but they’ve informally discussed [a] contract and numbers him for more than [a] week.”
It’s worth noting that, according to SI’s Ross Dellenger, Kiffin still has not officially signed his extension with Ole Miss.
As of 12 ET, Kiffin has not signed the new deal, by the way. Ole Miss officials are expecting that to happen soon. The offer has been there for several days.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 26, 2022
In other words, there’s still a lot of negotiating to be done, one way or another.
Freeze was a rising star as head coach at Ole Miss but the program was rocked by scandal and sanctions under his watch for various infractions. It was also revealed at the time that Freeze had used a university cellphone to call escort services while employed there. He was fired but would find a second chance at Liberty where he’s turned the Flames into a perennial bowl team, though he hasn’t avoided controversy while there either. Still, he’s won enough football games for his off-the-field actions to be forgiven, it seems.
Freeze agreed to a contract extension with Liberty in October through 2030, but, as we all know, that doesn’t mean much.
