Auburn, Hugh Freeze have mentioned teaching job for weeks, sources say

Auburn has been in dialogue with Liberty coach Hugh Freeze for weeks about him changing into the varsity’s subsequent coach, sources informed ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Sources mentioned the Tigers won’t make a proper provide till after Saturday’s Iron Bowl recreation in opposition to Alabama, however the sides have informally mentioned a contract for greater than every week.

Auburn’s pursuit of Freeze has come into focus as Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin mentioned earlier this week that he meant to stick with the Rebels even when the Tigers supplied him their head-coaching place. Sources informed ESPN’s Chris Low on Saturday that Kiffin has reiterated to Ole Miss workers and officers that he’s staying on the faculty.

Freeze would return to the SEC after spending 5 seasons at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016. Freeze went 39-25 for the Rebels earlier than he resigned in July 2017 after being discovered to have used a university-provided cellphone to name a quantity related to a feminine escort service.

However the 53-year-old rose again to prominence with the Flames. After Turner Gill went 6-6 in Liberty’s first full-time FBS season in 2018, Freeze raised the bar, going 8-5, 10-1 and 8-5 in his first three seasons. That run included a Remedy Bowl victory over No. 9 Coastal Carolina in 2020.

The Flames are 8-3 this season, together with a win over Arkansas on Nov. 5.

Sources informed ESPN that Freeze’s historical past of profitable and the research of his analytics and quarterback improvement made him enticing. Auburn officers additionally thought of Freeze an elite match in the neighborhood, with an outgoing nature that matches this system’s small-town vibe.

Freeze had signed a brand new eight-year contract with Liberty in October. His wage, which sources informed Thamel was slightly below $5 million per yr, put him among the many highest-paid coaches within the Group of 5.

Auburn fired Bryan Harsin on Oct. 31 after a four-game dropping streak dropped the Tigers to 3-5 on the season. They’re 2-1 beneath interim coach Cadillac Williams, a former star working again on the faculty.