Tag: Hugh Freeze

Hugh Freeze’s past offenses by the numbers

He has had some impressive offenses in his time as a head coach.

Auburn’s last two coaches’ downfall was their offenses no longer met expectations.

For Gus Malzahn that meant they slipped from where they were early in his tenure. Bryan Harsin was never able to establish an effective offense.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] was hired to change that, and he has had success in the SEC with his offensive scheme. He has used it to beat Nick Saban multiple times, something not many coaches can say.

His offense is based around a dangerous passing attack and developing quarterbacks, something that has [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] excited to work with his new coach.

This will mark a change in Auburn’s past offenses, which were based around a ground attack that opened holes in the defense the passing game could then exploit.

Here is a look at Freeze’s offenses at Arkansas State (2011), Ole Miss 2012-16), and Liberty (2019-22) by the numbers and how they rank compared to the rest of their peers.

Auburn suffers first decommit of Hugh Freeze era

This four-star prospect has re-opened his commitment in part due to changes made to Hugh Freeze’s staff.

Auburn football suffered a hit to its’ 2023 recruiting class on Thursday.

Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Adam Hopkins[/autotag] announced via Twitter that he has decommitted from Auburn and reopened his recruitment.

His decommitment is reportedly due to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s decision to not retain wide receivers coach [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag], who played a key role in Hopkins’ recruitment. It was announced Wednesday that Freeze would keep only [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Ethridge[/autotag] and [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag] on staff.

Hopkins committed to Auburn on Sept. 15, one week after taking his official visit to campus. Since his commitment, Hopkins visited Arkansas and Kansas State, in addition to being in town for Auburn’s win over Missouri.

Despite decommitting, Hopkins still has a high chance to sign with Auburn. According to On3, Auburn still has a 98% chance to land Hopkins’ signature.

Hopkins is a four-star wide receiver from Thomasville, Georgia. He is the nation’s No. 41 wide receiver for the 2023 cycle and the top receiver from the state of Georgia.

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Hit List: Top 2023 prospects that need to be on Hugh Freeze’s radar

Hugh Freeze’s tenure will get off to a great start if he can land the commitment of these top prospects.

Auburn University officially named [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] as the football program’s 31st head coach on Monday, Nov. 28. Now that the Tigers have their head coach, he now has 20 days to put the final touches on his first recruiting class.

He steps into a moderate situation as far as recruiting goes. Auburn currently ranks No. 32 in 247Sports 2023 recruiting rankings. That ranking has been raised drastically over the last week, as the Tigers have received commitments from four-star DL [autotag]Darron Reed[/autotag], and three-star EDGE [autotag]Brenton Williams[/autotag] over the last seven days.

Auburn has 13 commits to this point for 2023, with nine players listed as four-star talent. Freeze is of course given the task of building relationships with current commits, but he needs to reel in more talent in order to start his tenure on a high note.

Who are those top players that would give Auburn a boost in the 2023 recruiting rankings? Here is a list of uncommitted prospects, as well as those committed elsewhere, that Auburn has the chance to earn their National Letter of Intent.

Hugh Freeze fires all but three assistant coaches as he begins to build staff

Cadillac Williams, Zac Etheridge and Christian Robinson are all still with the program.

The [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] era of Auburn is officially underway, and it will come with many changes.

Matt Zenitz of On3 reported on Wednesday that Freeze has fired every Auburn assistant coach, save three: former interim head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], secondary coach [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] and linebackers coach [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag]. Williams had already been announced as a returning member in previous days.

Williams is the only one of the three who was hired by Gus Malzahn in 2019. Both Etheridge and Robinson joined the staff in 2022 under Bryan Harsin.  Etheridge previously was at Houston and Robinson at Florida in the same roles they are currently serving on staff.

It is unknown who Freeze will pick to fill in his staff at Auburn. Freeze used Matt Luke and Dan Werner as co-offensive coordinators during his tenure at Ole Miss and Dave Wommack as his defensive coordinator. Luke last served on Georgia’s staff from 2020-21. Werner last served as South Carolina’s quarterbacks coach from 2018-19, and Wommack last served as Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator in 2016.

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Auburn 2024 EDGE target set to announce commitment on Dec. 1

Sterling Dixon’s Twitter graphic showcased 32 teams, but experts have him pinned down to just two.

One of the first recruiting targets for Auburn under new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] will be committing very soon.

2024 edge rusher Sterling Dixon, a recruit out of Mobile, Alabama, announced on Twitter Wednesday that he plans to make his commitment on Dec. 1. Dixon is a four-star composite according to 247Sports.

Dixon released a very large graphic of 32 different teams in his announcement, but it would seem that he’s narrowed down his selection to just two of them — Auburn or Alabama. Which way he is leaning seems to depend, as 247Sports‘ Crystal Ball sees the Crimson Tide in his future but On3‘s RPM has the Tigers favored by 64 percent. Both seem to agree that, should Dixon surprise projections and not pick either of the two, the LSU Tigers seem to be the distant third in the running.

Dixon’s most recent interactions have been with the Crimson Tide, as he took two unofficial visits to Alabama in October and November. His most recent visit to the Plains was in July, and he’s since visited Alabama, Penn State and LSU.

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Williams ‘not upset’ about interim tag not being removed

Interim head coach Cadillac Williams says that he interviewed for the head coaching job at his alma mater, but is not bitter about the result.

By the end of the 2022 season, a bulk of Auburn’s fan base rallied for [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] to become the permanent head coach of the Tiger’s football program.

It is easy to see why. Williams led Auburn to a 2-2 record over the final four games. He brought energy to an exhausted roster, and developed Auburn’s running game to a new level. Auburn closed the season with two 100-yard rushers in each of its last three games. The Tigers rushed for 318 yards in the loss to Alabama, which is the most the Crimson Tide has allowed in the Nick Saban era.

Once the regular season concluded, athletic director [autotag]John Cohen[/autotag] and Auburn University President [autotag]Dr. Christopher Roberts[/autotag] elected to go with experience by hiring Hugh Freeze as Auburn football’s 31st head coach. Freeze is a 10-year head coaching veteran with stops at Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty.

Following Freeze’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, Williams told reporters he interviewed for the open position with Cohen, but the job went to [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. Williams said he was miffed to learn he had been passed over for Freeze, but that he welcomes the idea of working alongside Auburn’s newest head coach.

“Like I told them whenever they brought me the news, honestly, they looked more disappointed than me,” Williams said Tuesday. “They were like, ‘I’m sorry.’ But I’m like, I’m disappointed, (but) I’m not upset; like, I was at peace about it. I had the opportunity to talk to coach Freeze last night, and I was sold, to be honest with you.”

Williams received good news on Monday night. He was named associate head coach in addition to his role as running backs coach. He is believed to be Freeze’s first hire. Freeze said Tuesday he was impressed with the way Williams led Auburn during the final four games of the season.

“What I witnessed was what I thought was one of the most outstanding jobs of leadership that I have ever witnessed in college football,” Freeze said. “Being in this profession, I know how hard it is to finish seasons, even when you are doing well, even when you are bowl eligible. Much less finishing a season with enthusiasm and passion and desire and excitement and having fun like I witnessed when I turned on the Auburn football games. To me, it was a direct reflection of Cadillac, his leadership, and how he led the staff, and those young men, I thought, was a brilliant job.”

Williams said in a “thank you note” Tuesday that his intent was to remain at Auburn and to play a key role on the next staff. After meeting with Freeze on Monday, Williams is buying into what Freeze brings to the program.

“I’m here to serve,” Williams said. “Like I said before, my seat doesn’t dictate my service, so I am looking forward to this opportunity. I’m excited about it, and I back coach Freeze and Auburn 100%.”

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New head coach Hugh Freeze sends small message to his new school’s biggest rival

Freeze hasn’t wasted any time addressing Auburn’s most heated rivalry.

New Auburn Tigers head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] hasn’t been with the school for long, but he’s still had enough time for some rivalry banter.

Freeze had his introductory press conference on Tuesday after being hired by the Tigers, and it included a small warning to the team’s yearly Iron Bowl opponent and its head coach, Nick Saban.

Here is what Freeze said about the challenge of taking on Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide:

“Well, you don’t take this job if you’re not built to want that. And I welcome that, I want it. I want to be in that arena. I really, really, really enjoy that type of game. have great respect for Nick. He and Mrs. Terry have been great friends to us, too, but I hope they’re a little nervous today.”

Freeze can boast victories over Saban, having done it in back-to-back years when he was the head coach at Ole Miss during his first tenure in the SEC. Despite that, though, Freeze never took his Ole Miss Rebels to the SEC Championship, so he’ll pursue that feat in his quest to defeat Saban once against at the helm of the Crimson Tide’s biggest rival.

Freeze’s first game at the helm will be against UMass at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium in September of next year.

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Photo Gallery: Hugh Freeze introduced as Auburn’s head coach

Take a look at Auburn’s newest head coach.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is officially in charge of the Auburn Tigers.

The Tigers announced his hiring Monday night and on Tuesday he was introduced as the head coach.

Freeze has spent over 10 years as head coach of FBS programs, spending time at Arkansas State, Ole Miss, and Liberty.

“Before I start my comments,” Freeze said at his press conference. “I’d also like to just take a few minutes too. I’m so glad that the schedule for me at the end of the year married up with being able to witness your final few games here. Because what I witnessed, I thought, was one of the most outstanding jobs of leadership that I’ve ever witnessed in college football. Being in this profession, I know how hard it is to finish seasons even when you’re doing well, even when you’re bowl eligible much less finishing a season playing with enthusiasm and passion and desire and excitement and having fun like what I witnessed when I turned on the Auburn football games. To me, it was a direct reflection of Cadillac (Williams) and his leadership and how he led the staff and those young men.”

One of the first things Freeze did was announce that not only was he retaining [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], but he was also giving him a promotion. He is now an associate head coach as well as running backs coach.

Here are the top photos from the press conference.

Robby Ashford is ‘excited’ to work under Hugh Freeze

Ashford believes the Freeze can mold him into the quarterback that he aspires to be.

It is safe to say that most players on Auburn’s roster are thrilled about the opportunity to play under [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. One player, in particular, is quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag].

After Freeze’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, Ashford took time to share his thoughts on the hire with reporters on the scene. Ashford says that he did plenty of research on Freeze during the hiring process.

“During the search just seeing his track record and what he has done, I was thinking this is the coach I want to play for,” Ashford said Tuesday.

One aspect of Freeze’s game that excites Ashford is his track record of developing quarterbacks. Former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Malik Willis[/autotag] transferred to Liberty after failing to earn the top job at Auburn. Under Freeze’s direction, Willis passed for 5,107 yards and 47 touchdowns in two seasons. He then went on to be drafted 86th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Once the news of Freeze’s hiring became official, Ashford called Willis to talk about his new coach. Following the conversation, Ashford became more intrigued by Freeze’s history of developing quarterbacks.

“Me being close to Malik, just being able to see how he developed and what he is doing now, why would I not want to play for a guy like that?” Ashford said.

Ashford also says that he feels that he will get along fine with Freeze and that he wants Freeze to know that the players will bring the same energy and attitude that Freeze will bring every day.

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Hugh Freeze: ‘I have to have Cadillac on my side’

Auburn’s interim head coach to close out the 2022 season has officially earned his role on Hugh Freeze’s staff.

Hugh Freeze wasted no time in naming the first member of his staff.

It became official Tuesday that [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], Auburn’s interim coach for the final four games of the regular season, will remain on staff as the associate head coach in addition to his role as running backs coach.

During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, newly named Auburn head football coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] said that the decision to retain Williams was a no-brainer.

“It became easy for me when I had my meetings with John (Cohen), and Rich (McGlynn), and the other guys… I had already done my homework on people that we had in common, friends, I knew that my first priority was “I have to have Cadillac on my side to help me drive the culture of Auburn Football,” Freeze said.

Freeze said that his schedule at Liberty, as well as Auburn’s schedule, aligned perfectly to allow him the ability to watch most of the Tigers’ final regular season games. He says that he admired the way that Williams led the team during a difficult period.

“What I witnessed was what I thought was one of the most outstanding jobs of leadership that I have ever witnessed in College Football,” Freeze said. “Being in this profession, I know how hard it is to finish seasons, even when you are doing well, even when you are bowl eligible. Much less finishing a season with enthusiasm and passion and desire and excitement and having fun like I witnessed when I turned on the Auburn football games. To me, it was a direct reflection of Cadillac, his leadership, and how he led the staff, and those young men, I thought, was a brilliant job.”

Prior to Freeze’s introduction, Williams confirmed the news by sharing a “thank you note” via Twitter, showing gratitude to Jesus, Dr. Christopher Roberts, Rich McGlynn, and John Cohen, among others.

In his note, Williams said that he had the desire to remain at Auburn. After a meeting with Freeze, Williams says that he shares the same values and vision for the football program with Freeze and that he is excited to get Auburn back to its tradition of winning.

Williams is the first official hire that Freeze has made since becoming head coach. Freeze said during his press conference that many names have reached out to him in regards to joining his staff.

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