SEC INSIDER

Hugh Freeze named Auburn head coach

Grant Foree

November 28, 2022 at 5:37 pm.

Former Ole Miss and Liberty head coach, Hugh Freeze, was named the new head coach at Auburn in a press release on Monday.

“After a thoughtful, thorough, and well-vetted search, we ended where we started, with Hugh Freeze,” said Athletics Director John Cohen. “Of all the candidates we considered, Hugh was the best fit. Fit has several meanings, but the most important factors were student-athlete development, football strategy, recruiting and SEC experience.”

Freeze, 53, was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012-2016, where he had moderate success, including two wins over Alabama. Surprisingly, Freeze resigned from his position at Ole Miss in July 2017, amid an investigation into his personal conduct by the university.

In addition to the investigation, Freeze left Ole Miss months after the school received a notice of 21 NCAA allegations within the football program, including 15 Level I violations, though the school said those were not connected to Freeze’s resignation.

In 2019, Freeze was hired by Liberty University to be the head coach. During his tenure, Freeze led the Flames to a 34-15 record with four bowl appearances.

“I’ve been fortunate to witness first-hand how special Auburn is during my time as a head coach in the SEC and while visiting my daughter Jordan, who attended Auburn and currently lives in the community,” said Freeze. “I can’t wait to work with our student-athletes and the Auburn family to bring championships back to the Plains.”