Why did Hugh Freeze leave Ole Miss? Taking a closer look at the Auburn HC's past controversies
Hugh Freeze may have seen success in the SEC, but several allegations have surrounded him throughout his career.
But what were these controversies, and why did Freeze leave Ole Miss in 2017? Let's take a look at the contentious career of the new Auburn HC.
Freeze was hired by the Rebels in 2011 after a successful first head coaching stint with the Arkansas State Red Wolves saw him go 10-2. He came onto the Rebels' roster replacing former HC Houston Nutt, under whom the Rebels had struggled in the last few seasons.
But things would take a nosedive for Freeze and the Rebels in 2016, as the Ole Miss program would come under severe fire when the NCAA charged them with several recruiting violations.
Why did Hugh Freeze leave Ole Miss?
Hugh Freeze left Ole Miss, after he was handed a choice to either resign or get fired by AD Ross Bjork. The incident happened after Freeze was found guilty for violating the terms in his contract.
While the Rebels initially claimed that most of the recruiting violations occurred under the tenure of Nutt, these claims would open up a can of worms for Hugh Freeze after a defamation lawsuit was filed by Nutt in 2017.
Not only did the lawsuit find several instances of recruiting violations under the tenure of Freeze, but investigators also found out about calls made by him to a number belonging to female escort services.
A further investigation by Ole Miss into his private phone records would uncover a pattern of such calls from Freeze, which was in violation of the moral clause of his contract.
Ross Bjork, the athletic director of the Ole Miss program, would hand Hugh Freeze an ultimatum: either resign or get fired. This eventually led to Freeze's sudden statement in 2017, announcing that he would be leaving as coach of the Rebels, effective immediately.
After Hugh Freeze left Ole Miss in disgrace, why did Auburn hire him?
After he resigned from Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze took a break from coaching in 2017 and 2018, only returning to coach the Liberty Flames in late 2018.
After multiple winning seasons and a fresh dose of controversies with the Flames, Freeze eventually made his way back to the SEC, as Auburn announced him as their new HC in November 2022.
The world was up in arms when Auburn decided to bring on Freeze as the team's head coach late last year, not only because of his turbulent past with Ole Miss but also after accusations of Freeze sending a student unsolicited and inappropriate messages came to light last year.
Even after knowing all this, the Tigers still hired Hugh Freeze as their new coach. The reason? Freeze is a man who knows how to win in the SEC. He held a 2-3 record against the Tigers' arch-rivals, Nick Saban and Alabama, during his time with Ole Miss.
The school's new athletic director, John Cohen, previously at Mississippi State, also brought Freeze, a winning name from Ole Miss.
Cohen and the Tigers will certainly be hoping that Hugh Freeze can change the direction for their team, which has had a rough time securing wins in the SEC over the last few years.