Is Hugh Freeze right for Auburn? The expectations and issues
Auburn athletic director John Cohen will sign the contract for brand-new football coach Hugh Freeze with both eyes open.If anyone understands the upside and the risk associated with hiring the previous Ole Miss coach, it’s the previous Mississippi State athletic director. They didn’t simply share a state for five years, they shared a conference. Cohen would have gone to AD-level meetings and heard everything about why Freeze left Oxford under a dark cloud in the summer of 2017. (At Tuesday’s introductory press conference, Cohen revealed confidence in both Freeze and the thoroughness of Auburn’s vetting treatments but decreased to take any questions that would have shed more light on that procedure.)
Freeze was as soon as the toast of Ole Miss. He tore it up on the recruiting path and had a high-flying offense that pushed the tempo and took shots downfield. He brought the Rebels to their very first Sugar Bowl in 45 years. He beat Alabama and Nick Saban twice.But the fall from grace was quick and outrageous. There were NCAA recruiting violations, which caused a bowl ban and scholarship reductions, and there were call to an escort service, which eventually caused Freeze resigning. Had he not resigned, his previous athletic director said, he would have fired him.(After Freeze left Ole Miss, U.S.A. Today released a story in which 3 females, who were trainees at Briarcrest Christian when Freeze was a high school football coach in the late 1990s and early 2000s, stated Freeze made them uneasy with inappropriate habits. ) Freeze didn’t coach in 2017 or 2018. And since of the scandals, when he did return, it was at Liberty.In Lynchburg, Virginia, he began over. And with every win and bowl appearance, it seemed like he was inching closer to a go back to big-time college football.In four seasons at Liberty, Freeze went 34-15. However this previous summertime, a former Liberty student who took legal action against the university for presumably mishandling sexual attack cases accused Freeze of sending her direct messages on Twitter in reaction to her remarks. In one message, Freeze allegedly said Liberty athletic director Ian McCaw– who resigned as Baylor advertisement in the wake of a campus-wide sexual assault examination– was a”Jesus-like leader.”Meanwhile, Auburn was floundering. It had actually gone outside the box by working with previous Boise State coach Bryan Harsin in Dec. 2020 but a 6-7 very first season ended with an internal investigation into Harsin’s handling of the program. Then, after going 3-5 to start this season, Harsin was fired.Desperate for a tested winner in the SEC– and someone who might be able to beat archrival Alabama– Cohen eventually zeroed in on Freeze.Why did Auburn work with Freeze?Andrea Adelson: Because it could not get Lane Kiffin? This sure does seem like a reach.
Freeze’s past, quite frankly, must be disqualifying from him ever landing another Power 5 job. Particularly when Auburn had actually a highly certified prospect
standing on its sideline– beloved alum Cadillac Williams, who did an incredible job as interim coach after Harsin was fired. He drew widespread praise for not just the method he dealt with the situation however for the passion with which his group played. There are qualified Black head coaches throughout the nation who get passed over every year for coaches like Freeze. This hire is a particular slap in the face to among Auburn’s own, who has actually provided whatever for this program.But Freeze is a big name with an SEC past who beat Nick Saban twice when he was Ole Miss’coach, and took the Rebels to two New Year’s 6 games. And he can establish quarterbacks. But it’s fair to question whether that ought to have been enough for him to get the job.Alex Scarborough: The last few months, beginning with working with athletic
director John Cohen from Mississippi State, have seemed like a giant course correction for Auburn. Generating the previous Ole Miss coach– after trying to hire the current Ole Miss coach– is actually on the nose. And it’s foreseeable. Which is not to say it’s the incorrect relocation. If Freeze could compete
in the SEC and go 2-3 against Saban and Alabama at Ole Miss, what’s to state he can’t repeat that success at Auburn? It’s a much better recruiting area offered the access to Georgia and Florida, and there are unrestricted resources– just take a look at just how much money they want to burn on buyouts. (In the past two years, the Tigers have actually paid more than$37 million to fired coaches Harsin and Gus Malzahn.) The school recently developed a brand-new football center, and it is not scared to fund NIL ventures.What should be Auburn’s most significant issues moving forward?Adelson: Here’s the thing: A fast Google search clearly reveals why this hire features big dangers. As laid out above, Freeze has already gotten one SEC school into significant NCAA problem, causing postseason bans and abandoned wins. He was ousted at Ole Miss in part for using burner phones to call escorts, and while at Liberty is declared to have actually been direct messaging a woman taking legal action against the school over sexual attack claims.
However this hire is a win-at-all-costs, go-for-broke circumstance, and Auburn will handle the effects later.Scarborough: Ask his former athletic director and president at Ole Miss. They stood and safeguarded Freeze on numerous events just to end up embarrassed. Cohen will have to describe why he felt comfortable that Freeze has learned his lessons and is credible. And even then, only time will inform. However as far as the product on the field, let’s not forget that Freeze hasn’t coached in the SEC in 6 years. That’s an eternity. The last three SEC games Freeze coached were against Kevin Sumlin, Derek Mason and Dan Mullen.
So, yeah, a lot has changed. Freeze has to reveal his offense has actually evolved and that he can navigate the complexities of lineup management in the period of NIL. Doing it at Liberty is excellent, however it’s not nearly the like Auburn.How does Freeze get Auburn back in SEC contention?Adam Rittenberg: He achieved the first step by keeping Cadillac Williams on staff. He also requires other assistants who know the SEC recruiting landscape and can attract transfers. Auburn ultimately must become a quarterback destination under Freeze. Since 2018, Alabama leads the nation in total QBR, while Georgia is No. 4. Auburn ranks 55th. Freeze needs to enhance that position through recruiting and the portal.Chris Low: Right at the top is discovering, signing and developing a quarterback. Freeze has won with different styles of quarterbacks, which ought to make playing in his system attractive
for a great deal of quarterbacks out there. In the end, offensive systems do not win games(or championships )in the SEC. Players do. And make no error: Freeze’s mission at Auburn is to win titles. The Tigers are one of six schools nationally over the last 12 years to have actually won a national title and played in another national title game throughout that period. The method you do that is by signing and establishing fantastic players, especially
from the state of Georgia. When Auburn has been really great, the Tigers have always had terrific players from Georgia. Which’s more difficult than ever now with Kirby Smart in Athens.Mark Schlabach: I believe the Auburn lineup needs a total overhaul. Harsin’s recruiting abilities weren’t approximately SEC standards, and the Tigers lost a lot of players to the transfer portal. And then Freeze will require to win over the Auburn power brokers, just like basketball coach Bruce Pearl was able to do. Freeze has to unite Auburn fans and boosters and get everybody on the very same page. For too long, Auburn’s most significant opponent has actually been itself because of a lot dysfunction behind closed doors.What does this mean for the Alabama-Auburn rivalry?Rittenberg: Freeze understands the blueprint for beating Bama, and it’s all about recruiting and NIL, two areas where Auburn ought to flourish under his leadership.
Auburn needs schematic and skill upgrades on offense to beat an Alabama group that has actually pivoted more towards quarterback and wide receiver play. Freeze has a strong performance history on offense, specifically at pass receiver, but his capability to draw in and develop elite SEC quarterbacks to match Alabama’s will be worth watching.Low: The Iron Bowl is constantly going to be one of the very best competitions in college football, but a new face is only going to spice it up. There was also a time that Saban and Freeze nearly ended up together. After Freeze resigned at Ole Miss, Saban was interested in bringing Freeze on as
an analyst or even an offending coordinator, but sources say SEC commissioner Greg Sankey protested the concept of Freeze being back in the league while Ole Miss was still on probation.Schlabach: The Tide may be as susceptible as they’ve ever been under Saban. Ruling Heisman Prize winner Bryce Young is leaving for the NFL, in addition to linebacker Will Anderson Jr., the very best player on defense. The Tide don’t appear to have a bruising running back like they have actually had in the past, and their young receivers have not worked out.
Alabama has actually been undisciplined and afflicted by turnovers and penalties. If Freeze and his staff can recruit well and pluck a few difference makers out of the transfer portal, they may be competitive with Alabama quicker than individuals believed.