Earlier this week, news broke that former Liberty University Football Coach Hugh Freeze was fired from his current position at Auburn University. Freeze has been with the Tigers since 2022 when he departed Liberty Mountain despite signing a contract with the Flames until 2030.
Let’s take some time to reminisce on the Freeze era of Flames football and look at what went wrong in his recent SEC stint.
Flames Nation — Rise with Us
Freeze was perhaps one of the most iconic Liberty Football coaches the program has seen. No, his record wasn’t the best, but you cannot deny that he’s a legend.
Nobody can forget the time Freeze coached a game in 2019 from a hospital bed after undergoing a life-saving surgery. The sheer dedication to his team and pride in his position was truly something notable — and that dedication helped Freeze build a program oozing with talent during his time at Liberty.
Freeze left Lynchburg posting an overall record of 34-15 throughout his four seasons as head coach where he led the Flames to win three consecutive bowl games.
Iced out of Auburn
In November 2022, Freeze traded his red and blue for Auburn orange, becoming the 31st head coach in program history. In nearly three seasons leading the Tigers, Freeze exits with a 15-19 record.
His termination did not come as much of a surprise after an overwhelming chant from the student section yelling, “Fire Hugh,” followed their 10-3 loss to the University of Kentucky. After the boos from the sold-out stadium, Freeze had this to say:
“I wish I could ask for patience, but that’s not really something that people want to give in this day and time, and I understand that,” Freeze said in the post-game presser. “I just know we’re so dang close.”
With Auburn currently sitting at 1-5 in the SEC and any dream of a bowl game shattered, “so dang close” was just not good enough.
Many reports claim that Freeze prioritized his time on the golf course over fixing the declining program. Ironically enough, speculation of his discharge came after sources noticed that Freeze’s standing tee time at the Auburn University Club had been cancelled.
On to greener pastures … or just the greens?
The question now is, what is next for Freeze? The former coach shared a post on social media reflecting on his time on the Plains, but there is no clear direction for Freeze as of now. Freeze may not stand on the gridiron of any major FBS conference anytime soon, but at least now he has more time to spend on the fairway.
White is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion.