Tag: Hugh Freeze

CFB media addresses Bryan Harsin, potential Auburn candidates

Deion Sanders, Hugh Freeze, and Lane Kiffin. Oh my.

Any slack that remains on Bryan Harsin’s leash is rapidly fading after Auburn’s blowout loss to Penn State last Saturday, and it isn’t exactly a secret.

Harsin isn’t the only head coach in college football that has underperformed this season, however, and some recent firings will ensure that this upcoming offseason’s coaching carousel could get interesting. As such, college football media have already been reporting some possible moves and candidates for teams around the nation, and Auburn’s poor initial showing has it right in the mix.

Here are a few names attached to the Tigers, along with one team that might be vying for Bryan Harsin’s services if it doesn’t work out on the Plains:

Eagles continuing pre-draft due diligence on Liberty QB Malik Willis

Philadelphia Eagles brass recently had a long conversation with Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze about QB Malik Willis

The Eagles continue to say all the correct things about trusting Jalen Hurts, but the NFL draft evaluation process has proven that Howie Roseman is turning over every stone to find a franchise quarterback.

Philadelphia’s general manager kept a close eye on Liberty quarterback Malik Willis during Senior Bowl practices and the star quarterback’s head coach confirmed that the interest has continued.

During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze gave some insight into a long conversation he just had with the Eagles.

“Philadelphia has called here recently,” Freeze said. “I talked to them a lot last night.”

“I talked to Coach (Joe) Pannunzio last night. I think he is in their personnel. We go back from our days in SEC together,” Freeze said via 94WIP. “He was definitely calling on behalf of them with some more conversation.”

Pannunzio is Philadelphia’s assistant special teams coordinator and has SEC ties from his time at Alabama and other schools.

Willis has a rifle for an arm, and during the Senior Bowl, Roseman saw the rising prospect fire off medium-range passes, both from the pocket and on the run, with little to minimal effort.

Willis offers the rawest potential out of the 2022 group of passers, but if properly harnessed, he could become the NFC’s version of Josh Allen, something Eagles fans and owner Jeffrey Lurie covet.

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Ole Miss cooked Hugh Freeze to perfection, but deleted the tweets like cowards

Ole Miss pulled no punches toward its former coach on Saturday.

Some of you might remember that before he was the head coach at a college established by a family of televangelists, otherwise known as Liberty University, Hugh Freeze was actually the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2017.

Freeze achieved quite a bit of success (though much of it no longer counts after the school was slammed with sanctions for recruiting violations under his watch and that of Texas A&M’s current athletic director Ross Bjork and forced to vacate 33 wins).

However, despite the on-field success, Freeze’s tenure is best remembered for what happened off the field, including an odd comment to a recruit comparing the NCAA’s investigation into the Rebels to the persecution of Jesus Christ, as well as the scandal that ultimately led to his dismissal in which he placed calls to a Tampa-based escort service from his university-issued phone.

With Freeze’s Liberty Flames heading to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Saturday to take on his former team, everyone expected that there would be some awkwardness and a lot of jokes.

The folks running social media at Ole Miss didn’t disappoint as it defeated the Fighting Jerry Falwells 27-14.

This is a reference to a (since-deleted) tweet Freeze sent in 2013, in which he invited anyone with evidence of a recruiting violation to report it to the Mississippi compliance office. Of course, the Rebels were ultimately found to have committed numerous violations resulting in some of the most severe NCAA punishments in recent years.

But the Rebels’ account wasn’t done. Not yet.

For those who might not be sure what exactly they’re looking at here, it’s a picture from Liberty’s game against Syracuse in 2019 when Freeze, who had suffered a herniated disk leading to a staph infection that required emergency surgery, had to coach the Flames from a hospital bed.

This is some top-tier trolling from Ole Miss, and the Rebels communications team showed the school’s former coach no mercy on Saturday. (Until they deleted the tweets. Cowards.)

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Inky Johnson visits Hugh Freeze

Inky Johnson visits Hugh Freeze and Liberty.

Third-year Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze had a former Vol visit his team on Friday.

Inky Johnson visited Freeze and Liberty.

“So amazing to have one of the best with us today,” Freeze said of Johnson on Twitter. “He has been a dear friend and brother over the last six years.”

Johnson played cornerback for the Vols from 2004-06.

His football career came to an end in 2006 against Air Force with an injury that paralyzed his right arm. Johnson is now a motivational speaker and visits teams around the country.

Liberty (6-2) will host UMass Saturday. Kickoff is slated for noon EDT and ESPN3 will broadcast the matchup.

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Former Tennessee quarterback Kaidon Salter transfers to Liberty

Former Tennessee quarterback Kaidon Salter transfers to Liberty.

Freshman quarterback Kaidon Salter was dismissed from the University of Tennessee’s football program last month.

Following his departure from Tennessee, Salter has enrolled at Liberty. He will play for head coach Hugh Freeze.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Salter is from Cedar Hill High School in Cedar Hill, Texas.

Freeze enters his third season as head coach at Liberty.

He is 18-6 in two seasons at Liberty and has won two bowl games. Liberty finished 10-1 in 2020.

Freeze has 10-win seasons as a head coach at Lambuth, Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty.

The third-year Liberty head coach joined the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” in June and discussed the Flames’ program.

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Hugh Freeze discusses maintaining Zoom for recruiting in post-COVID-19 era

Hugh Freeze discusses maintaining Zoom for recruiting in post-COVID-19 era.

Hugh Freeze enters his third season as head coach at Liberty.

Freeze is 18-6 in two seasons at Liberty and has won two bowl games. Liberty finished 10-1 in 2020. He has 10-win seasons as a head coach at Lambuth, Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty.

Freeze has a history of success in Tennessee. He won two state championships at Briarcrest Christian School (2002, 2004) and compiled a 20-5 record at Lambuth, reaching the NAIA playoffs.

PODCAST: Mike Leach reflects on recruiting Josh Heupel

Recruiting and the NCAA transfer portal is a key part of any program in 2021.

During the coronavirus pandemic, coaches were forced to use platforms such as Zoom to interact with recruits as prospects were not allowed to take visits on campus.

The NCAA is now allowing on-campus visits since June 1.

Freeze joined the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” and discussed how maintaining Zoom in recruiting can be beneficial for programs during the post-COVID-19 era.

“I would be fine with continuing to recruit like that all the time with the exception of, I think we need to be able to go out in the evaluation period in the fall, and obviously the contact period before signing day in December and January,” Freeze said. “I honestly think it would benefit college football, families and coaches if we just did away with the spring evaluations and did that by Zoom because the kids are coming to your campus anyway. When we go to those high schools in the spring, everyone is pulling people out of class, it is a non-contact period anyway — I am probably on the minority on that. I would be fine with us just resuming the Zoom world, all of that time with the exception, I do think we need to go out and evaluate in the fall time where there be a practice or a game, combined with the contact we have in December in January.

“I would love to see our staff be able to stay at home in the spring because you are going to these satellite camps in June and kids are coming to your campus all spring and summer. That is just my opinion and I would love to see Zoom replace that time. Another thing, with this new transfer portal, the relational aspect of coaching is going to be more important than ever and that requires time. I just think the more time our coaches can be on campus with our kids, the more beneficial it would be.”

The entire show with Freeze can be listened to here or below. Freeze discusses Liberty football, recruiting and the College Football Playoff.

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Hugh Freeze recites General Neyland’s Maxims

Watch Hugh Freeze recite General Neyland’s Maxims.

The 2020 college football season concluded Monday as Alabama defeated Ohio State in the national championship game.

Part of ESPN’s telecast of the national championship game was “Film Room.”

Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson, former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze and North Carolina A&T’s Sam Washington analyzed the matchup from a X’s and O’s standpoint.

During the game, Freeze recited one of General Robert Neyland’s Game Maxims.

“You always talk about in these games — when a break comes our way, man, we got to score, we got to take advantage,” Freeze said.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

General Neyland’s Maxims

1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.

2. Play for and make the breaks and when one comes your way – SCORE!

3. If at first the game or the breaks go against you, don’t let up… put on more steam.

4. Protect our kickers, our QB, our lead and our ball game.

5. Ball, oskie, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle… for this is “THE WINNING EDGE.”

6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.

7. Carry the fight to (our opponent) and keep it there for 60 minutes.

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Former Tennessee offensive coordinator part of ESPN’s national championship game ‘Film Room’

Alabama and Ohio State will play in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday night.

Alabama and Ohio State will play in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday night.

Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. EST (ESPN) from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

ESPN’s main telecast will headline a MegaCast production, offering 14 total presentations of the matchup across ESPN networks.

Aug 2, 2008; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers offensive coordinator Dave Clawson instructs his team during first day of practice at Haslam Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

One of the presentations featured is “Film Room” that will be televised by ESPNEWS.

Former Tennessee offensive coordinator and current Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson will take part in the “Film Room” broadcast during the game.

Clawson will be alongside former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze and North Carolina A&T’s Sam Washington.

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Zach Crisler discusses coaching the three-man surface offense

Zach Crisler discusses coaching the three-man surface offense.

Zach Crisler has launched his young coaching career and is currently serving as a running backs graduate assistant at North Alabama.

North Alabama runs a three-man surface offense. The origin of the offense stems, notably, from Hugh Freeze.

“When I first got here in 2019, Ryan Aplin is actually who hired me at North Alabama, and obviously he played at Arkansas State under Freeze,” Crisler said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.” “He kind of brought the tradition of the Freeze offense with a base out of 11-personnel, stuff that Coach Freeze runs.”

Vols Wire previously analyzed the three-man surface offense with Freeze and others from his coaching tree.

Arkansas Tech offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Ryan Trevathan previously discussed coaching for Freeze at Ole Miss and Arkansas State.

At Ole Miss, Trevathan served as a quality control coach in 2014 and as a graduate assistant working with tight ends from 2012-13. He also spent time as a student assistant coach at Arkansas State under Freeze in 2010-11.

Trevathan served as offensive coordinator at Pearl River Community College (2017-18). Trevathan hired Crisler to coach running backs at Pearl River.

Crisler came to Pearl River after coaching at Nettleton High School in Jonesboro, Arkansas during the 2017 season.

“Through the coach tree, the high school offensive coordinator was Clint Wilson, who was with Coach Freeze at Arkansas State as a student assistant in the quarterback room,” Crisler said. “That is when I got introduced to the Freeze offense, was working high school ball. We dummied it down at the high school level, but it was still the three-man surface and kind of dictate the box and take the RPOs when they are given.”

The entire show with Crisler can be listened to here or below.

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Updated list of 5 potential Alabama OC candidates to replace Steve Sarkisian

Alabama is in need of an offensive coordinator for the 2021 season, as Steve Sarkisian will be heading to Texas for their head coaching job.

Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will only hold onto that title for one more game, the College Football Playoff national championship, before officially becoming the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.

With Sarkisian gone, a void will be left in Nick Saban’s assistant coaching staff, not an unfamiliar feeling for the Crimson Tide coach.

Recruiting is key for the SEC Champions, and if Saban plans on hitting the trail hard in the offseason, it’s crucial to have an offensive coordinator named and on staff.

Immediately after the announcement of Sarkisian’s departure, Roll Tide Wire released five initial candidates for the job. Now, with rumors and reports beginning to surface, here are the current top five candidates for the job: