Auburn Hires Hugh Freeze As New Head Football Coach
Upside on the Field, Risk of Embarrassment Off It
Freeze Brings Experience and Winning Record
Auburn University has hired Hugh Freeze as its 31st head football coach. The announcement was made on Monday, November 28, 2022, by Athletics Director John Cohen.
Freeze, 53, has spent the past five seasons as the head coach at Liberty University, where he led the Flames to a 34-15 record, including a 10-1 mark in 2022. Prior to Liberty, Freeze was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016, where he compiled a 39-25 record and led the Rebels to three bowl games.
Freeze is known for his high-powered offense, which has ranked among the nation's best in both scoring and total yards during his tenure at both Liberty and Ole Miss. He is also known for his ability to recruit top-notch talent, and he has consistently brought in highly-rated recruiting classes at both Liberty and Ole Miss.
However, Freeze's hiring comes with some risk for Auburn. Freeze was fired from Ole Miss in 2016 after an NCAA investigation found that he had committed numerous violations, including failing to monitor his assistant coaches and providing impermissible benefits to recruits. Freeze has since admitted to making mistakes and has said that he has learned from his past.
Despite the risks, Auburn is betting on Freeze to turn around its football program, which has struggled in recent years. The Tigers went 6-7 in 2022, their third straight losing season. Freeze is a proven winner with a track record of success, and he is expected to bring a new level of excitement to Auburn's football program.
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