Some were skeptical of Auburn’s decision to hire [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] as its’ next football coach due to his questionable past with off-the-field issues.
However, most changed their mind after Freeze performed a near-impossible turnaround in recruiting by turning a class ranked in the high-60s into a top-25 product.
There is no denying that Freeze’s tenure is off to a hot start. Is this hire considered a “home run”? One college football analyst is not ready to make that claim just yet.
Greg McElroy, the former Alabama quarterback who now serves as a radio show host, as well as a college football analyst for ESPN, recently graded each new hire across the college football world. He has given Freeze a “B”, citing that Freeze still has plenty to prove.
Why does he get a B? Well, I think Lane Kiffin would have been an A. I’ll just say that. Hugh Freeze: well, he’s done a decent job on the recruiting trail. I think there’s a lot to be excited about. He did a great job at Liberty won eight each of the last four years. He’s back in the SEC now, has a familiarity with the league, the footprint and everything else, I think he’s positioned to do well. The one thing I would say and I do feel like the fan base is behind him, I think that is very beneficial, of course, right. You got to be able to play politics if you’re at Auburn. He’s equipped, I think, to rebuild the roster in a way that his fan base will be more comfortable.
McElroy goes on to say that he is impressed with Freeze’s brief recruiting efforts, but is quick to compare his first class with that of his predecessor.
Bryan Harsin couldn’t recruit Bryan Harsin didn’t know what he was doing. Didn’t have any interest in it. Well, Bryan Harsin’s first recruiting class finished No. 19, according to 247. Everyone’s telling me that Hugh Freeze is doing an amazing job and look how great he’s recruiting. Well, there’s 17. There are two spots better than a guy that supposedly couldn’t recruit. I think that that’s something that needs to be acknowledged.
He then closed his point by saying that he is optimistic about Freeze’s tenure at Auburn, and is ready to see what how quarterback Robby Ashford develops under his watch. However, he feels that its’ too early to predict if he will ever make it to the top during his time on the Plains.
“Is he ultimately going to win national championships? I don’t know,” McElroy says. “I hope (so) for him and I hope for his fanbase.”
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