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Hugh Freeze will face Ole Miss for the first time since returning to the SEC this Saturday when he welcomes his old team to Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn will host Lane Kiffin and the Rebels in hopes of landing its first conference win.
The Tigers new coach had some complimentary things to say about his opposition on the sideline, referencing Kiffin’s success in reviving the Ole Miss program. Of course, that was after Freeze, himself, put the team on life support.
Freeze was at the helm in Oxford from 2012-2016, posting a 39-25 overall record with the Rebs. That included a pair of wins over Alabama and a 10-win campaign in 2015.
Ole Miss climbed to as high as No. 3 in the polls in that ’15 season, and it would finish with a Top 10 final ranking. Unfortunately, the wheels would come off for Freeze shortly thereafter.
Before the start of the 2017 season, Freeze was found to have contacted an escort service on his school-issued cell phone. He resigned while Ole Miss was dealt probation and a postseason ban relating to its head coach’s numerous recruiting violations.
Those violations spanned Freeze’s tenure in Oxford and included an 8th-ranked 2013 cycle that boasted players like Laremy Tunsil and top overall recruit Robert Nkemdiche. Tunsil, in particular, was singled out as having received impermissible benefits.
Freeze would revamp his tarnished career at Liberty, winning 34 games over four seasons. That success was good enough to land the Auburn gig.
His return to the SEC has led to an abundance of escort-related jabs, including a brutal one last weekend from a Baton Rouge restaurant.
Freeze has attempted to take the high road, though, preaching his sermon of “love over hate” to anyone that will listen.
On Monday, he previewed his upcoming matchup with Ole Miss. Ironically, he complimented Lane Kiffin for cleaning up the mess he left.
Hugh Freeze: “Give credit to the job Lane (Kiffin) has done there. He’s built it back into a competitive top-25 program.”
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) October 16, 2023
“Give credit to the job Lane (Kiffin) has done there,” Hugh Freeze said in his Ole Miss week presser. “He’s built it back into a competitive top-25 program.”
Of course, it was Freeze’s actions that helped sink the Top 25 program that he’d built, watching the Rebels struggle to four straight seasons of .500 or worse following his departure.
That irony wasn’t lost on college football fans.
“Sounds like such a back-handed compliment.”
“Gee, I wonder who set it back to begin with.”
“That’s funny coming from the guy that nearly nuked the program.”
“Please hang 70 on him, Lane.”
Kiffin has quickly turned things around in the ‘Sip, winning 10 games in Year 2. He has Ole Miss off to a 5-1 start this year and will look to secure bowl eligibility with a win on Saturday.