Tag: Hugh Freeze

5 potential hires to fill Alabama’s offensive coordinator position

Alabama football is on the search for a new Offensive Coordinator for the 2021 season as Steve Sarkisian accepts the Texas head coaching job

With the news of Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian accepting the head coaching job at Texas, the Crimson Tide carousel of assistant coaches continues to spin.

Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Golding are currently both in their second consecutive season with the team, which seems like a rarity, as most Alabama assistants are sought after by other programs across the country.

Recruiting players is not enough for head coach Nick Saban, he usually recruits assistants in the offseason, and that’s what he’ll likely have to do in order to find a new offensive play caller for the 2021 season.

Here are five potential candidates to replace Steve Sarkisian for the Crimson Tide offensive coordinator position:

Hugh Freeze discusses analyzing Alabama every week while at Liberty

Hugh Freeze discusses analyzing Alabama every week, key in defeating the Crimson Tide.

Hugh Freeze has experienced success coaching against three Southeastern Conference head coaches that are playing in New Year’s Six bowl games this season.

Freeze is 18-6 with two bowl victories in as many seasons as Liberty’s head coach.

He was 39-25 from 2012-16 at Ole Miss.

While at Ole Miss, Freeze was 3-2 against Dan Mullen and Mississippi State, 2-3 versus Nick Saban’s Alabama teams and 1-0 taking on Kirby Smart at Georgia.

“I was fortunate to beat people like Nick Saban and Kirby Smart and Dan Mullen, that are in that league and with probably a lesser roster than what they had,” Freeze said during a media availability ahead of Liberty’s bowl game against Coastal Carolina.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Following Liberty’s 37-34 overtime victory over Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl, Freeze was a guest on “The Paul Finebaum Show.”

Breaking down Steve Sarkisian’s offense

Finebaum asked Freeze about Alabama’s offense during the 2020 season under coordinator Steve Sarkisian.

The Crimson Tide have two Heisman Trophy finalists this season in quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Running back Najee Harris is fifth amongst top 10 finishers in the 2020 Heisman Trophy voting.

“I don’t watch many teams on film because I’m obviously pretty consumed with who we are, and would like to think that we know what we’re doing offensively, and I think the stats over my ten or so years in the college game prove that we do,” Freeze said. “I will tell you this, there is one team that my video coordinator will have cued up for me on Sundays when I come in to watch, and it’s Alabama. Sarkisian is great gameday play-caller, and you’ve put together the best of the best – offensive line, tight ends, receivers and quarterbacks – that they’ve had over the last few years, and you see what’s happening because they have expanded their offense to what I consider to be the up to date version of offensive football.

“It is so difficult because you have to put an extra guy accounting to the run, to stop their run game. With the quality of offensive line and tailbacks that they have, and it just forces you to be in too many one-on-one situations with the receivers that they have. It will take an absolute elite defense to slow them down – and really I don’t know if that is really a possibility. My goal, if I were coaching the defense that had to play them, would be to work all week long, on what are we going to do when they get to the 25-yard line because here is the key – we have to hold them to some field goals.”

Vols Wire previously provided a breakdown of Freeze’s offenses by the numbers since he has been a head coach at the FBS level.

“I will never change what we do offensively. I don’t know all but what we’ve done, it’s had success everywhere we’ve been. It’s what I am familiar with and what I feel comfortable calling the game with, so we’re doing the same stuff.” — Hugh Freeze on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days”

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Hugh Freeze discusses how there has not been an offer mutual enough to leave Liberty

Liberty concluded its 2020 season with a 37-34 overtime victory over No. 12 Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl.

Liberty (10-1) concluded its 2020 season with a 37-34 overtime victory over No. 12 Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl.

Following Liberty’s victory over Coastal Carolina, Vols Wire spent time at Liberty, taking in the winning program Hugh Freeze has built in Lynchburg, Virginia.

He is 18-6 with two bowl victories in two seasons with the Flames.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Freeze further discussed his success in two seasons at Liberty on “The Paul Finebaum Show” Monday. Freeze discussed what it would take for him to leave Liberty for another school.

“They have given me an incredible offer here — six-year extension,” Freeze said. “It was more than anything I would have dreamed of at a place outside of the Power Five. They have been so good to me and my family, supportive of our staff, our kids, and anything we need to try to make Liberty one of the top Group of 5 programs in the country. That’s where my commitment lies.

“I have been very honest with the administration and with our players more so than I have ever have been, saying to them should something come that makes my heart beat a little faster, and that university feels the same about me that I feel about them, they will be the first to know that — that is the truth as I can put it. To this point, there has been nothing that was mutual enough, either on their side or my side, to make me want to leave the mountain here at Liberty University.”

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Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34 OT: FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl 10 Things To Know

Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34. 10 ten things you need to know about the Liberty win over Coastal Carolina in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.

Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34 OT. The 10 ten things you need to know about the Liberty win over Coastal Carolina in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.

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Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34 OT: FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl

10. Of course this ended on a blocked kick. In one of the wildest and weirdest college football bowl games ever, Liberty was stuffed on its overtime possession – there was a whole lot happening just before that, we’ll get there in a moment – got hit for a delay of game, and Alex Barbir calmly hit a 44-yard field goal for a 37-34 lead. Coastal Carolina was stuffed, but Massimo Biscardi’s field goal try was blocked.

9. There were a ton of missed holding calls, some questionable replay calls, and a few other rocky moments. The two teams combined for 12 penalties, Liberty turned it over three times, Coastal Carolina once, and … oh yeah. They also combined for 958 yards and more fun plays than we’ve seen throughout the first part of the bowl season.

8. There were so many fantastic performances that will be overshadowed by the quarterbacks and the finish. Coastal Carolina WR Jaivon Heiligh caught 13 passes for 178 yards, and Liberty RB Joshua Mack ran 14 times for 105 yards – but with a BIG fumble. Coastal Carolina WR Isaiah Likely caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, and yeah …

7. The quarterbacks showed up. Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall completed 21-of-32 passes for 318 yards and three scores with a pick, and he led the team with 96 rushing yards and a touchdown. But ..

6. No, the quarterbacks really showed up. Liberty’s Malik Willis was unstoppable – at least running the ball. He threw for 220 yards, but gave up two interceptions – and there should’ve been more. However, he ran 21 times for 137 yards and four touchdowns.

5. That was the fourth season of Coastal Carolina football. So what if it lost a thriller of an overtime bowl game that could’ve gone either way? The team stepped up, made a monster comeback, came up with a goal line stand for the ages, and put together a whale of a performance against a very, very good Liberty team. Remember this season for all of the amazing wins – including beating BYU – and the great comebacks. Mostly, remember this as everything the program could’ve possibly have dreamed of.

4. This is the third year of Liberty football at the FCS level, It now has two straight Cure Bowl wins and no losing seasons. The Flames tried way-hard to give this game away – more on that in a second – but they beat two ACC teams on the road, came within a blocked kick of beating a third, and it took down an unbeaten Coastal Carolina team. Hugh Freeze’s team went 10-1, lost that one game to NC State by a point, and yet all of it was about to be totally forgotten because …

3. To whiteboard this in case you didn’t see it, with the score tied at 34 in the final moments, Liberty had the ball at the Coastal Carolina 1. The Chanticleers were going to let the Flames score, but LU RB Joshua Mack wouldn’t go in and took a knee on first down. On second down – with around 45 seconds to play – it got messed up. Mack tried to bleed the clock, then he got shoved into the end zone, seemed surprised to be hit from behind, fumbled, and Coastal Carolina recovered.

2. The goal line debacle at the end of regulation is on the Liberty coaching staff. If there’s a mistake, or a miscommunication, or if everyone isn’t on the same page, that’s on the multi-millionaire head football coach and not on the college kid. Don’t blame RB Joshua Mack for that fumble on the goal line debacle at the end. That was a messed up situation, Mack seemed like he tried to stop short, and it all got screwed up from there.

1. My goodness did we deserve this 2020 Cure Bowl. After a pure load of yuck over the first seven bowl games, this was everything you could possibly want out of a non-playoff bowl game. Excitement, controversy, overtime, offense, big plays, big moments, great performances – good luck beating this, remaining 2020-2021 bowl season (and let’s hope you do).

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Hugh Freeze discusses how he prefers virtual recruiting beyond 2020

Hugh Freeze discusses how he prefers virtual recruiting beyond 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic has altered the college football season and recruiting during the 2020 calendar year.

Zoom meetings, press conferences and virtual recruiting have taken over this year throughout the sport.

The inability of going out on the recruiting trail for home and school visits have allowed for coaches to spend more time with their current team.

Second-year Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze met with media Wednesday in preparation for its Cure Bowl matchup with Coastal Carolina.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 21: Head coach Hugh Freeze of the Liberty Flames celebrates with his team after defeating the Georgia Southern Eagles in the 2019 Cure Bowl at Exploria Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Freeze mentioned he would prefer to keep virtual recruiting going forward when the pandemic concludes.

“This probably won’t be real popular with a lot of college coaches, but I enjoy recruiting from here and not going away from home,” Freeze said. “I think it’s real possible that we could really change the recruiting calendar to where you may not have to go out as much, but that is just my preference.

“I like our coaches being here with our current kids. I don’t think we spend enough time with our current teams and our current schedule. We are always running around trying to get the next guys and we could be really investing into the lives of our kids a little more.”

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BREAKING: Bryan Harsin to become the 27th head coach for Auburn football

Boise State’s Bryan Harsin will become the 27th head coach for Auburn.

It was a deal done with a lot of silence and it truly came out of the blue … the blue turf, if you don’t mind.

Per Jay Tate of AuburnSports.com, sources confirmed to him that Boise State’s Bryan Harsin has agreed to become the 27th head coach at Auburn.

The impending deal was first reported by Pete Thamel who wrote:

Once Auburn fired coach Gus Malzahn last week, a spree of rumors and backchannels around the university began. Auburn officials point to Harsin’s hiring as the culmination of a thorough search run by athletic director Allen Greene, which included the use of Parker Executive Search.

“There’s been lots of speculation out there, but it’s been a professional search,” said source familiar with the search. “The process was managed in a way that’s consistent with industry standards.”

One of things that appealed to Auburn officials was Harsin’s competitiveness, as the school acknowledges the challenge of competing in the SEC West. Harsin comes from the Chris Petersen tree at Boise State, which is known for high integrity and the ability to connect with players.

Along with high-flying offenses, it was attractive to Auburn officials that Boise State traditionally values dominating both lines of scrimmage.

In seven seasons with the Broncos, Harsin went 69-19 and won three Mountain West Conference championships.

This would be the second time he has taken over a job from Gus Malzahn, the first coming in 2013 at Arkansas State.

Report: Auburn targeting Boise State’s Bryan Harsin, deal expected

Auburn is reportedly targeting Boise State’s Bryan Harsin as its next head coach.

Major news broke out of left field on Tuesday evening.

Per Pete Thamel, Auburn is narrowing in on Boise State’s Bryan Harsin as its new head coach and a deal is expected to happen soon.

In seven seasons with the Broncos, Harsin went 69-19 and won three Mountain West Conference championships.

This story will be updated.

Report: Auburn has contacted Hugh Freeze regarding head coaching job

Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze has reportedly been contacted by Auburn regarding its vacant head coaching position.

Auburn is turning its interest toward a former SEC coach.

Per Brandon Marcello of 247Sports, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze has been contacted by the Tigers regarding the vacant head coaching position.

Considered one of the favorites when the job became vacant after Gus Malzahn was fired last Sunday, his name quickly disappeared.

Freeze comes with both experience in the SEC and some baggage. At Ole Miss from 2012-16, he led the Rebels to a 39-25 record including a 10-win season in 2015. Yet he might be more remembered for getting the Ole Miss program on probation under his watch and his personal transgressions off the field.

He has definitely rehabbed his image in two seasons at Liberty, leading the Flames to a 9-1 record this season and helping the program win its first bowl game in history last season.

Want to make this easy, Auburn? Call Hugh Freeze

Report: Clemson DC Brent Venables withdraws name from Auburn search

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables has reportedly withdrawn his name from the Auburn search.

Another one has turned down Auburn.

On Tuesday, Pete Thamel reported Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables has told Clemson he will be staying and has withdrawn his name as a candidate for the Auburn head coach position.

Venables was a popular choice due to turning the Tigers into a defensive power over the last several seasons.

He becomes the third person in the last 24 hours to withdraw from consideration along with Louisiana’s Billy Napier and UAB’s Bill Clark

Auburn Coaching Search 7.0: Where do Tigers go from here?

The Auburn coaching search continues and the Tigers will have to look at some new candidates.

The Auburn coaching search has been turned on its head as multiple candidates have turned down the job including both Billy Napier and Bill Clark on Monday alone.

So where do the Tigers turn from here? Let’s open the book once again on all possible coaches that Auburn could go after along with the odds of them getting the job.