Hugh Freeze – Auburn Tigers

Hugh Freeze was named the 31st head football coach in Auburn’s 129-year history on November 28, 2022. A veteran head coach at the collegiate level for 12 years, Freeze has quickly elevated every program he has led, including Ole Miss and most recently, Freedom.

Freeze, the head coach at Liberty from 2019-2022, led the Flames to four bowl games and a 34-15 record. During his tenure at Liberty, he acquired former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis and developed him into one of the top quarterbacks in the country in 2021.

Freeze has experienced similar success at each of his head coaching stops prior to Liberty, including Lambuth University (2008-09), Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16). The Oxford, Mississippi, native led each school to double-digit winning seasons while helping Ole Miss to a national top 10 finish in 2015. His coaching record on the field in 12 years is 103-47.

Freeze has nearly three decades of sustained coaching success, including head coaching experience that has led to conference titles, nationally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appearances at multiple stops during his highly decorated career.

This season, Liberty finished the regular season 8-4 with a win at Arkansas and a home win against BYU, while three of the four losses came by a total of five points.

Liberty was just one of five FBS teams in the country to win a bowl game each of the past three seasons, joining Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana. They are also the second team in NCAA history to win a bowl game during their first three full seasons at the FBS level, all under Freeze’s leadership.

Freeze led Liberty to a 10-1 overall record in 2020 and the team’s first-ever national ranking as it finished No. 17 in the country. That season, Liberty got off to the best start in program history (8-0), tied the program record for wins (10) and defeated two Power 5 programs in Syracuse and Virginia Tech. For his efforts, Freeze was a finalist for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award that season.

Known for his fast-paced offensive style, Freeze’s 2020 Liberty team set a school record for rushing yards in a season in 2020 (2,776) and ranked ninth in the nation in rushing offense. Liberty also ranked No. 15 in the nation in total offense (482.7 yards per game) and No. 11 in total defense (317.7 yards per game). The Flames were one of three teams in the nation to rank in the top 20 in both total offense and total defense in 2020, joining Clemson and BYU.

Liberty’s top offense in 2020 was Willis, who stormed into the national season leading the nation in rushing yards (944) and touchdowns (14) by an FBS quarterback. Willis earned All-America honors and was named to the 2020 Davey O’Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2020 list.

The Flames posted eight wins in the 2021 season after facing eight bowl-eligible teams during the 2021 season. Liberty’s defense finished the 2021 season ranked seventh nationally in passing yards allowed, No. 11 in total defense and No. 24 in scoring defense. Offensively, Liberty finished 2021 ranked No. 25 in the country in scoring offense and No. 8 in passing yards per completion.

Willis once again led the charge in 2021 for the Flames, who were coming off an award-winning season. The quarterback was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the Maxwell Award and a top 10 candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

While the head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze led it back to championship form during his five seasons and guided it to bowl appearances during three of his five years, including victories in the 2013 Music City bowl and the 2016 Sugar Bowl.

Freeze’s time in Oxford was highlighted by a 10-3 campaign in 2015, the first 10-win season since 2003. The Rebels won their first four games of the 2015 season, including a 43-37 victory over No. 2 Alabama. Ole Miss’ first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988.

The Rebels ranked third in national polls in both 2014 and 2015 and finished in the nation’s top 10 for the first time since 1969 after the Sugar Bowl victory. Ole Miss was ranked in the top 25 for 45 weeks during his five-year tenure, including a streak of 27 consecutive weeks in the polls for the first time since 1957-62.

In 2013, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) awarded Freeze the Grant Teaff Coach of the Year award. Freeze has been heavily involved with FCA throughout his coaching career and has been featured in FCA Magazine and spoken at FCA functions. Freeze was also a finalist for the 2014 Bear Bryant Award and the 2014 Dobb Trophy.

Freeze has an eye on the nation’s most talented high school players and assembled four nationally ranked recruiting classes at Ole Miss. In 2013 and 2016, his recruiting classes ranked in the top five in the nation, making them the best in program history.

Freeze and his staff developed 20 players who earned All-SEC honors, including All-Americans Cody Prewitt, Senquez Golson, Robert Nkemdiche, Laremy Tunsil, Evan Engram, Laquon Treadwell and Trae Elston.

Treadwell was named Ole Miss’ first-ever SEC Freshman of the Year in 2013 and became the school’s first Biletnikoff Award finalist in 2015. Nkemdiche was the first defensive lineman to be named a Hornung Award finalist. Engram won the Ozzie Newsome Award and Pop Warner College Football Award following the 2016 season.

Eleven Ole Miss players were selected in the NFL Draft during Freeze’s time as head coach, including first-rounder Engram, and DJ Jones, Derrick Jones and Chad Kelly who heard their names called in the final draft. In 2016, the Rebels had three first-round draft picks in Tunsil, Treadwell and Nkemdiche.

As head coach at Arkansas State in 2011, the Red Wolves captured the Sun Belt Conference championship with a 10-2 overall record. It was the first 10-win season since 1986 and the best debut season ever by an A-State head coach. Freeze was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year, while 13 of his students earned all-conference honors. In Freeze’s first season in Jonesboro, he served as Arkansas State’s offensive coordinator and led the Red Wolves’ offense to a record-breaking year in 2010.

Prior to arriving at Arkansas State, Freeze compiled a 20-5 record over the 2008 and 2009 seasons at the helm of the Lambuth University football program in Jackson, Tennessee. Freeze was named Southeast Region Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association in 2009 after leading the Eagles to their best regular season in school history with an 11-0 record.

Under Freeze’s leadership, Lambuth won the Mid-South Conference West Division, reached the second round of the NAIA playoffs for the first time since 1999, finished the year with a 12-1 mark and moved to 6th place in the NAIA Rankings.

Before taking over as head coach at Lambuth, Freeze was a member of the Ole Miss staff from 2005 to 2007, including the last two seasons as an assistant coach.

Freeze served at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis for 13 years as a teacher, coach and administrator. He was the Saints’ head football coach from 1995 to 2004, running the no-huddle “spread system” for six years that led to six straight state championship games.

Freeze compiled a 99-23 record while at Briarcrest, including an undefeated season in 1996 and state championship titles in 2002 and 2004. He won six regional titles and was the Region 8-AA Coach of the Year and Associated Press Coach of the year four times. Among his talented players during that period were eventual Rebels and former NFL starters Michael Oher and Greg Hardy.

Before taking on the head coaching role at Briarcrest, Freeze served as the teams’ offensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 1992 to 1994, when the Saints twice reached the TSSAA semifinals.

Freeze graduated from Senatobia High School in 1988, earned an associate degree from Northwest Mississippi Community College in 1990 and was a two-year letterwinner on the Ranger baseball team. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in coaching and sports administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1992.

While attending USM, he became active in missionary projects, serving as a missionary in Houston, Salt Lake City, St. Petersburg, Russia and Australia. Freeze also served as state president of the Mississippi Baptist Student Union.

Born in Oxford and raised in Independence, Mississippi, Hugh and his wife Jill are the parents of three daughters: Ragan, Jordan and Madison. His daughter Jordan attended Auburn University and currently lives in Auburn.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze
“First, I want to recognize Cadillac Williams for the incredible job he has done as interim head coach. The impact he has made is immeasurable and cannot be overstated. Second, Auburn is one of the premier programs in college football and I am very grateful for that.” President Roberts and John Cohen for this opportunity at Auburn. I have been fortunate to see firsthand 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. I can’t wait to work with our student-athletes and the Auburn family to bring championships back to the Plains.”

Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen
“After a thoughtful, thorough and well-vetted search, we ended up where we started, with Hugh Freeze. 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.”

Auburn President Christopher B. Roberts
“I am pleased that our athletics director John Cohen conducted a detailed and thorough national search process, and I look forward to welcoming Hugh and Jill Freeze to the Plains. I have been impressed with Coach Freeze’s focus on player development and his on-the-field success at multiple colleges and levels.”

FREEZING AT A GLANCE

Coaching experience
2019-22 – Liberty (head coach)
2018 – Arizona Hotshots (Offensive Coordinator/October 2018 – December 2018)
2012–16 – Ole Miss (head coach)
2011 – Arkansas State (head coach)
2010 – Arkansas State (Offensive Coordinator)
2010 – San Jose State (Offensive Coordinator / December 2009 – February 2010)
2008-09 – Lambuth (head coach)
2006-07 – Ole Miss (Tight Ends / Recruitment Coordinator)
2005 – Ole Miss (Assistant AD for Football External Affairs)
1995-04 – Briarcrest High School / Tennessee. (High coach)
1992-1994 – Briarcrest High School/Tenn. (Offensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)

Personal
Education: BS, Mathematics (Southern Miss, 1992)
Residence: Oxford, Miss.
Woman: Jill
Children: Ragan, Jordan and Madison

career coaching award
2020 George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Finalist
2013 Grant Teaff FCA Coach of the Year
2011 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year
2009 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year Southeast
2009 Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year
5-time Region 8-AA Coach of the Year
Four-time Associated Press High School Coach of the Year