Hugh Freeze agrees to extension with Liberty

Many Power Five programs will have to go back to the drawing board now that a top target is off of the table.

A potential candidate for several Power Five coaching jobs is now off the table.

According to a report by ESPN, former Ole Miss head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has agreed to a contract extension with Liberty. The extension will keep Freeze as the head coach of the Flames football program until the 2030 season.

Pete Thamel of ESPN was the first to report the news. He reports that Freeze has signed an 8-year extension that fully guarantees that he will make just under $5 million per season.

Director of Athletics for Liberty, Ian McCaw, is pleased with what Freeze has done with the program in three seasons, and is excited about what he brings to the future of the program.

“We are grateful for Coach Freeze’s outstanding leadership of Liberty Football and the positive influence he has on our student-athletes,” McCaw said in a statement. “Liberty Football is realizing the vision that was cast for it decades ago and we are excited that Coach Freeze will lead the program into the future.”

Since taking over the program at Liberty in 2019, he has led the Flames to 33 wins, which includes a current record of 7-1. Liberty has earned wins over BYU, UAB, and Southern Miss to this point in the season, with their only loss being a 37-36 decision to No. 10 Wake Forest.

Freeze was seen as a potential candidate to fill the needs of several Power Five openings, but more so for the possible opening at Auburn. Now that Freeze is tied to a longer contract with Liberty, Auburn will need to look elsewhere if they plan to move on from [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] at the end of the season.

[mm-video type=video id=01ggd7dmf0q3am0gcveq playlist_id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ggd7dmf0q3am0gcveq/01ggd7dmf0q3am0gcveq-e77dbf46548c2828e7486261de2618fe.jpg]

[listicle id=56095]