His offense has the ability to be successful at a place like Auburn with the Tigers’ current player personnel.
“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”
Freeze also had success with his offense in the SEC at Ole Miss and with Arkansas State, Lambuth University and Briarcrest Christian School.
A former player for both Freeze and Malzahn discussed Auburn making a move with its head coaching position and how the Liberty head coach would do well immediately at Auburn.
“Auburn would not fire him without having an idea of someone to hire,” Vols Wire was told. “Freeze has a system that would be fluid with current players and has past success versus Nick Saban. Those are two big criteria.”
Ryan Trevathan is in his second year as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Division II Arkansas Tech.
Trevathan came to Arkansas Tech after serving as offensive coordinator at Pearl River Community College (2017-18) and Northeast Community College (2015-16).
Trevathan comes from the Hugh Freeze coaching tree.
Prior to becoming an offensive coordinator and climbing the collegiate coaching ladder, he spent time learning under Freeze at Ole Miss and Arkansas State.
At Ole Miss, Trevathan served as a quality control coach at Ole Miss 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 has taken everything he has learned from Freeze and implemented it into his offense at Arkansas Tech.
He discussed learning from Freeze on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” and how the offense has not changed from a philosophical and execution standpoint.
“We are still the exact same, now our terminology has changed, and of course over the years we have added a little bit of different types of RPOs, because the RPOs have just really taken off — we got into them at Ole Miss,” Trevathan said. “Everything is the exact same. I could walk into their staff meeting right now (at Liberty) and get on the board and we would have the same terminology. Our head coach here at Arkansas Tech, Kyle Shipp, was a graduate assistant in 2010 under Freeze when he was the offensive coordinator, so he knows the same offense and often times we will speak in old terms of plays, which is easy for us to communicate.
“It is the exact same offense, not a lot of variations. When I get to watch Liberty on TV, it is really easy for me to see what is going on and what is happening, and all of the schemes they are running. It’s fun to do.”
Dec 3, 2011; Arkansas State Red Wolves head coach Hugh Freeze and quarterback Ryan Aplin take questions during the press conference following the game against the Troy Trojans at ASU Stadium. Arkansas State defeated Troy 45-14. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Freeze’s teams have featured various quarterbacks in Ryan Aplin, Bo Wallace, Chad Kelly, Stephen Calvert and Malik Willis.
“You can easily see the type of quarterback that you need in that offense,” Trevathan said in describing the type of signal-caller that can make this offense be successful. “I say need, but would like to have to be successful. Someone that is very smart, that understands the offense. I would say more of a thrower, primarily a thrower, but can run well enough. There are quarterbacks that are very dangerous, and you have to plan for them, and the running game is their strength. I do not think that you have to have a true runner, a quarterback that is primarily a thrower, but is a threat at running.
“With the things that we run, when you get down into the red zone, it gives you an extra hat and you can get a running back on a blocker, or on a defender blocking, and nobody accounts for the quarterback, so you just even your numbers up.”
Hugh Freeze, Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Inside Hugh Freeze’s offense
“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”
The offense centers around putting defensive personnel in conflict. Conflicts can be caused by a zone read on the defensive end, reading the second level and placing linebackers in conflict of their assignment.
The offense operates with an understanding of how to attack linebackers that are in a run fit and attached to the box. His offense displays a fast read with the quarterback eyeing what linebackers are going to do. This helps the quarterback conduct a pass or a run option.
Freeze demands his offensive personnel to have an answer to a zone blitz, allowing for tempo. This is known as a three-man surface in Freeze’s offense.
His offense can also have three-man surfaces in motion. For instance, a short motion with a tight end against a zone blitz can open up a play against the high safety.
With a tight end in motion, he can block a cornerback, providing a three-man surface. The quarterback can then throw a hitch screen to the outside with a stick screen to the inside.
This also allows for an inside zone run if the quarterback elects to not throw a hitch or screen pass, or attack the high safety. The quarterback must read the MIKE linebacker and see if he decides to play the outside screen or stay within the box.
Freeze’s offense caters to where his offensive personnel can have an advantage numbers-wise.
His offense also has a wide receiver on the outside that is able to have one-on-one matchups, once defenses play the run or screen. The quarterback can decide quickly if the defensive personnel has committed to playing the run or screen, and then throw to the outside wide receiver for a favorable matchup.
“Going into game planning, we always, through formations, whether it is 10-personnel, 11-personnel, 20, 12, whatever it is, you want to see how every formation affects the box,” Trevathan said. “From there it is just a numbers game. My receivers on all base runs get to run hitches for 90 percent of our base runs, which they like. It is really easy on the quarterback, it is a very quarterback-friendly system. He has a lot of power out there, a lot of freedom to make a lot of throws and a lot of checks, whether it is 3×1, 2×2, whatever it is, we are always looking at for a way to get our best players the ball.
“Going back, even specifically, and I learned a lot at Ole Miss obviously, we had some really great receivers — the Evan Engram’s, Laquon Treadwell’s — there was always a way, a plan to get those guys the ball 8-10 times a game. Regardless of what was going on, they were going to get some catches, but making sure there were specific calls that we know that we need to get this man the ball. That is one big thing that I have carried over in my career, is making sure our best players touch the ball with a minimum number in our mind going into the game.”
Transforming programs
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 has been able to create a winning program at all three head coaching stops at the FBS level: Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty.
His latest stop at Liberty, compiling a 17-6 record with a bowl victory in two seasons, has placed him in discussion for Power Five head coaching jobs and within the Southeastern Conference.
Freeze has roots in Tennessee, a state in which he is thought of in high regards from his time as head coach at Briarcrest Christian School (1995-2004) and Lambuth University (2008-09).
“I you ever spend any time around Coach, he can captivate a room and can grab a room real quick,” Trevathan said of Freeze and his ability to quickly transform a program. “I got to see the transformation at Arkansas State, which was unbelievable. If anybody knows anything about that program, they will deeply agree.”
Head coach Hugh Freeze of the Mississippi Rebels hugs head coach Butch Jones of the Tennessee Volunteers on October 18, 2014 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. The Mississippi Rebels defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 34-3. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
The entire show with Trevathan discussing his career and coaching for Freeze at Arkansas State and Ole Miss can be listened to here or below.
Auburn might stick with Gus Malzahn for one more year but if he was to be fired, the Tigers should look at hiring one of these four coaches.
Auburn now sits 5-4 with one regular season game to play and the Tigers have yet to beat a team with a winning record.
The Gus Malzahn era has grown stale as the Tigers are looking at a four-loss season for the seventh straight year, something on Saturday that he said would be a “solid” season.
So the two questions facing the powers that are at Auburn are these: should the Tigers pay the buyout to get rid of Malzahn and, if so, who should replace him.
Here are four candidates, from upcoming star to long shot, to be the Auburn coach in 2021.
Greenfield finished the 2020 campaign 8-2 before losing in the playoffs. It was the first region championship for the Yellowjackets since 1986.
Pitt was part of Hugh Freeze’s coaching staff at Lambuth from 2008-09. He served as offensive line coach. Indiana head coach Tom Allen was also on staff at Lambuth as defensive coordinator and overseeing linebackers.
“He could take a room full of young men and it wouldn’t take long until everybody in the room was bought in, 100 percent and ready to go to war,” Pitt said of Freeze. “He was a great leader that way of getting everybody to believe. It was one of the greatest things that I saw him do.”
“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”
“It was a good thing that I got to spend those two years with those good coaches and learn so much,” Pitt said of his time at Lambuth. “I carry things that I learned from them many years ago and we’re still doing them at Greenfield, and I know Coach Freeze is still doing them at Liberty.
“The game has changed a lot, but it is still some principles and sort of the same type of offense, calls and things of that nature that I still see on game day through them, and then things that we are still doing at Greenfield.”
The entire show with Pitt can be listened to here or below.
The former Auburn quarterback has helped lead Liberty to a top-25 ranking and 9-1 record.
Liberty will likely be without former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis for the big game against Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Sea of Red reported that the star quarterback has tested positive for COVID-19 and will more than probably miss the top-25 matchup.
From the report:
This obviously puts Willis as a big question mark for Saturday’s game pending the results of additional tests. No. 25 Liberty (9-1) is scheduled to play No. 14 Coastal Carolina (9-0) Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. on ESPNU. ESPN’s College GameDay announced Monday it will broadcast Saturday from Coastal Carolina ahead of the big matchup of the former Big South rivals. The Chanticleers opened as 7 point favorites but the line has moved to 10.5 in some books as of Wednesday morning. From all indications, it seems that Liberty is doing everything it can to still play in the big game Saturday.
This season, Willis has completed 151 of 236 passes for 2,040 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing with 807 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 120 carries. The recent addition to the Maxwell Award Watch List is the only FBS player to rank among the nation’s top 15 for both passing touchdowns and rushing touchdowns. He leads all of FBS quarterbacks in rushing.
The former Auburn quarterback hit a receiver in stride for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give Liberty the early lead.
Malik Willis had a tough game last Saturday, throwing three picks against N.C. State as Liberty lost its first game of the season, 15-14, to the Wolfpack.
He’s making up for it this Saturday as it didn’t take him long to find the end zone.
Hugh Freeze is in his eighth season as a head coach at the FBS level in 2020.
He is in his second season as Liberty’s head coach after being in the same capacity at Ole Miss (2012-16) and Arkansas State (2011).
Freeze guided Liberty to its first ever bowl win last season and has started the 2020 campaign 8-1 with Power Five victories over Syracuse and Virginia Tech. His lone loss was at North Carolina State, 15-14.
Freeze has a winning background within the state of Tennessee.
He won two state championships (2002, 2004) at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis.
The veteran head coach also experienced success at NAIA Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Freeze compiled a 20-5 record and reached the NAIA playoffs.
After the Knoxville News Sentinel posed the question, Vols Wire looked into where Freeze stands to return as a head coach within the Power Five, Southeastern Conference and in the Volunteer State.
“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”
Hugh Freeze is in his eighth season as a head coach at the FBS level in 2020.
He is in his second season as Liberty’s head coach after being in the same capacity at Ole Miss (2012-16) and Arkansas State (2011).
Freeze experienced success at every stop he has been at, including winning two state championships (2002, 2004) in Tennessee at Briarcrest Christian School.
He also experienced success at NAIA Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Freeze compiled a 20-5 record and reached the NAIA playoffs.
“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”
Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze watches as his team warms up before an NCAA college football game against Nort Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP, Pool)
Breaking down Hugh Freeze’s three-man surface offense.
Hugh Freeze started his coaching career at Briarcrest High School in Memphis, Tennessee.
Freeze served as offensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 1992-94 before becoming Briarcrest’s head coach (1995-2004). He later became head coach at Lambuth (NAIA) in Jackson, Tennessee from 2008-09.
The former Arkansas State and Ole Miss head coach continues to leave his mark with offensive success throughout the sport of football at Liberty.
Freeze is described as an incredible mind by his former players and is always looking for ways to improve.
Hugh Freeze. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The second-year Liberty head coach has an understanding of how much the run game means for opening up the pass game, however he is adaptable when seeing something that defenses are giving his offensive personnel within a game.
Freeze has the ability to simplify things for his offensive personnel. The more things are simplified, the more difficult it becomes for defenses defending his offense.
His offense centers around putting defensive personnel in conflict. Conflicts can be caused by a zone read on the defensive end, reading the second level and placing linebackers in conflict of their assignment.
Freeze understands how to attack linebackers that are in a run fit and attached to the box. His offense displays a fast read with the quarterback eyeing what linebackers are going to do. This helps the quarterback conduct a pass or a run option.
Freeze demands his offensive personnel to have an answer to a zone blitz, allowing for tempo. This is known as a three-man surface in Freeze’s offense.
His offense can also have three-man surfaces in motion. For instance, a short motion with a tight end against a zone blitz can open up a play against the high safety.
With a tight end in motion, he can block a cornerback, providing a three-man surface. The quarterback can then throw a hitch screen to the outside with a stick screen to the inside.
This also allows for an inside zone run if the quarterback elects to not throw a hitch or screen pass, or attack the high safety. The quarterback must read the MIKE linebacker and see if he decides to play the outside screen or stay within the box.
Freeze’s offense caters to where his offensive personnel can have an advantage numbers-wise.
His offense also has a wide receiver on the outside that is able to have one-on-one matchups once defenses play the run or screen. The quarterback can decide quickly if the defensive personnel has committed to playing the run or screen, and then throw to outside wide receiver for a favorable matchup.
“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”
Looking back at Hugh Freeze’s ‘thankful’ opportunity in joining Vols’ staff.
Hugh Freeze is unbeaten (7-0) in his second season as Liberty’s head coach. The Flames have victories at Syracuse and Virginia Tech in 2020.
He guided Liberty to an 8-5 season last year and won the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.
With the 2020 season into November, behind the scenes, the coaching carousel with posturing schools and agents is taking place. Freeze’s success at Liberty has placed his name in consideration for coaching opportunities that can allow him in returning to the Power Five level.
Freeze compiled a 39-25 on the field record at Ole Miss in five seasons from 2012-16. He resigned from Ole Miss in July 2017 due to wrongdoings.
Freeze did not coach during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He did have an opportunity to join Tennessee’s coaching staff as offensive coordinator following Jeremy Pruitt’s first season in 2018.
“All indications are pointing to something with Tennessee,” Norsworthy told Vols Wire. “They (Tennessee) are getting a really good football coach.”
Norsworthy has been with the Ole Miss/IMG Football Network for over a decade and has known Freeze since his high school days in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Jeremy (Pruitt) is going to be a big-time winner at Tennessee,” Norsworthy said. “They (Pruitt and Freeze) will be a formidable duo.”
In Oct. 2019, Freeze discussed other coaching opportunities he had prior to accepting his head coaching position at Liberty. Other coaching opportunities included becoming an offensive coordinator at various schools including Tennessee.
