My Opinion of the hiring of Hugh Freeze by Auburn

I just finished watching the Hugh Freeze press conference at Auburn.

I was impressed. He didn’t dodge anything about his past, he has made many amends with his wife, Jill, and his three daughters, and has been humbled and is sincerely contrite for his past mistakes. But, he made it clear that he’s going to take Auburn Football into the future playing for championships and doing it the right way. I believe him. He’s a sincere guy. I think he’s always been a man of faith and just was overcome with the pressure at Ole Miss. He made egregious mistakes there, but he’s learned from them and become a better human being from them.

With Coach Freeze and Coach Saban in this state the next several years there is going to be some terrific football being played with teams competing for SEC and National Championships at both places. Coach Freeze has learned from his mistakes. He referenced Carnell and Pearly a good bit on how to run a football program. He called Carnell “invaluable” to Auburn Football and Carnell is now the Associate Head Coach and remains running backs coach, which is highly deserved and highly needed for Freeze and his program. Freeze said he’s going to lead like Pearly, who has had and is having major success with the Tigers basketball program.

I must admit, I was skeptical about this hire due to the lack of character on Freeze’s part when he was head coach at Ole Miss. The escort service calls were reprehensible, and the NCAA violations were unacceptable as well.

But, people deserve second chances. I believe Hugh Freeze deserves a second chance. He’s one heckuva football coach, there is no doubt about that. I see him as a changed man. He’s still intensely competitive, but also a man of reformed character, who has reconciled with his family for his past personal failings and he will never make mistakes like that again. I see him as sincere in that area of his life, which is critical to his personal future as well as his future as a head coach at Auburn. This is a controversial hire, but I was impressed with his genuine approach to all of it.

He’s going to compete hard, he’s an intensely competitive guy, you can tell by the way he talks. He thinks he can turn Auburn Football around quickly with recruiting and the transfer portal. Look what Lincoln Riley has done at USC for a blueprint of that immediate resurgence of a program. Auburn has a new $100+ million football facility, there’s a commitment from the boosters, AD John Cohen seems to be a home run hire, according to Freeze, who said Cohen left no stone unturned when interviewing him. The fan base and student body are as passionate as you’ll find anywhere in football, college or professional. Auburn is unquestionably a place where you can win and win big. SEC and National Championships should be attainable many years with the right coach and it looks like John Cohen has hired the right guy to lead them into the SEC and national arena.

Freeze said he is good friends with Coach Saban and Terry Saban, but that he hoped they were “a little scared this morning.” That’s just competition. Coach Saban doesn’t back down from anybody and neither will Coach Freeze, so this should make for some major excitement on the football fields in Tuscaloosa and Auburn respectively for the next several years.

If he can act right, Hugh Freeze can make Auburn football a consistent powerhouse in college football. I believe he will act right.

The Iron Bowl and college football in this state got even more electric with the hiring of Hugh Freeze at Auburn.

The only thing that I noticed that could be concerning is his intense competitiveness, almost to the point of being maniacal. I know you need that as a coach, but he doesn’t need to let it overwhelm him and cause him to make another major mistake in his life and for Auburn.