Auburn's press release...
Hugh Freeze has been named the 31st head football coach in Auburn's 129-year history, Athletics Director John Cohen announced Monday. An experienced head coach at the collegiate level for 12 years, Freeze has quickly elevated each program he's led, including Ole Miss and most recently, Liberty.
The head coach at Liberty from 2019-22, Freeze led the Flames to four bowl games and a 34-15 record. During his tenure at Liberty, he took former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis and developed him into one of the nation's top quarterbacks in 2021.
"After a thoughtful, thorough, and well-vetted search, we ended where we started, with Hugh Freeze," Cohen said. "Of all the candidates we considered, Hugh was the best fit. Fit has several meanings, but the most important factors were student-athlete development, football strategy, recruiting and SEC experience."
Freeze has experienced similar success at each of his head coaching stops prior to Liberty that include Lambuth University (2008-09), Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16). The Oxford, Mississippi, native lead each school to double digit win seasons, while helping Ole Miss to a top 10 national finish in 2015. His on-field coaching record in 12 years is 103-47.
Freeze has nearly three decades of continued coaching success, including head coaching experience that has led to conference titles, nationally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appearances at multiple stops during his highly decorated career.
"First, I want to acknowledge Cadillac Williams for the incredible job he did as interim head coach. The impact he made is immeasurable and cannot be overstated," Freeze said. "Secondly, Auburn is one of the preeminent programs in college football and I'm very appreciative of President Roberts and John Cohen for this opportunity at Auburn. I've been fortunate to witness first-hand how special Auburn is during my time as a head coach in the SEC and while visiting my daughter Jordan who attended Auburn and currently lives in the community. I can't wait to work with our student-athletes and the Auburn family to bring championships back to the Plains."
This season, Liberty finished the regular season 8-4 with a win at Arkansas and home versus BYU, while three of their four losses came by a combined five points.
Liberty was just one of five FBS teams in the country to win a bowl game each of the last three seasons, joining Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana. It also is the second team in NCAA history to win a bowl game during its first three full seasons at the FBS level, all coming under Freeze's leadership.
"I'm pleased that our Athletics Director John Cohen conducted a detailed and thorough national search process, and I look forward to welcoming Hugh and Jill Freeze to the Plains," President Christopher B. Roberts said. "I am impressed with Coach Freeze's focus on player development and his on-the-field success at multiple universities and at multiple levels."
Freeze guided Liberty to a 10-1 overall record in 2020 and the team's first-ever national ranking as it finished No. 17 in the country. That season Liberty had the best start in program history (8-0), tied the program record for wins (10) and defeated two Power 5 programs in Syracuse and Virginia Tech. For his efforts, Freeze was a finalist for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award that season.
Known for his fast-paced offensive style, Freeze's 2020 Liberty team set a school record for rushing yards in a season in 2020 (2,776) and ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing offense. Liberty also ranked No. 15 in the country in total offense (482.7 yards per game) and No. 11 in total defense (317.7 yards per game). The Flames were one of three teams in the country to rank in the top 20 in both total offense and total defense in 2020, joining Clemson and BYU.
Spearheading Liberty's outstanding offense in 2020 was Willis who burst onto the national season leading the nation in rushing yards (944) and touchdowns (14) by a FBS quarterback. Willis earned All-America honors and was named to the Davey O'Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2020 listing was on the 2020 Maxwell Award watch list.
The Flames posted an eight-win in 2021 season after facing eight bowl-eligible teams during the 2021 season. Liberty's defense finished the 2021 season ranked No. 7 nationally in passing yards allowed, No. 11 in total defense and No. 24 in scoring defense. Offensively, Liberty finished 2021 ranked No. 25 in the country in scoring offense and No. 8 in passing yards per completion.
Leading the charge for the Flames in 2021 once again was Willis, who had an award-winning season. The quarterback was a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and the Maxwell Award and a top 10 candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
While the head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze led it back to championship form during his five seasons, guiding it to bowl games during three of his five years, including wins in the 2013 Music City bowl and the 2016 Sugar Bowl.
Freeze's time in Oxford was highlighted by a 10-3 campaign in 2015, the program's first 10-win season since 2003. The Rebels won their first four games of the 2015 season, including a 43-37 road victory over No. 2 Alabama, Ole Miss' first win in Tuscaloosa, since 1988.
The Rebels were ranked as high as No. 3 in the national polls in both 2014 and 2015 and finished top 10 in the country for the first time since 1969 after the Sugar Bowl win. Ole Miss was ranked in the top 25 for 45 weeks over his five-year tenure, including a string of 27-straight weeks in the polls for the first time since 1957-62.
In 2013, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) awarded Freeze the Grant Teaff Coach of the Year award. Freeze has been heavily involved with FCA during his entire coaching career and has been featured in the FCA Magazine and spoken at FCA functions. Freeze was also a finalist for the 2014 Bear Bryant Award and the 2014 Dobb Trophy.
Hugh Freeze has been named the 31st head football coach in Auburn's 129-year history, Athletics Director John Cohen announced Monday. An experienced head coach at the collegiate level for 12 years, Freeze has quickly elevated each program he's led, including Ole Miss and most recently, Liberty.
The head coach at Liberty from 2019-22, Freeze led the Flames to four bowl games and a 34-15 record. During his tenure at Liberty, he took former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis and developed him into one of the nation's top quarterbacks in 2021.
"After a thoughtful, thorough, and well-vetted search, we ended where we started, with Hugh Freeze," Cohen said. "Of all the candidates we considered, Hugh was the best fit. Fit has several meanings, but the most important factors were student-athlete development, football strategy, recruiting and SEC experience."
Freeze has experienced similar success at each of his head coaching stops prior to Liberty that include Lambuth University (2008-09), Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16). The Oxford, Mississippi, native lead each school to double digit win seasons, while helping Ole Miss to a top 10 national finish in 2015. His on-field coaching record in 12 years is 103-47.
Freeze has nearly three decades of continued coaching success, including head coaching experience that has led to conference titles, nationally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appearances at multiple stops during his highly decorated career.
"First, I want to acknowledge Cadillac Williams for the incredible job he did as interim head coach. The impact he made is immeasurable and cannot be overstated," Freeze said. "Secondly, Auburn is one of the preeminent programs in college football and I'm very appreciative of President Roberts and John Cohen for this opportunity at Auburn. I've been fortunate to witness first-hand how special Auburn is during my time as a head coach in the SEC and while visiting my daughter Jordan who attended Auburn and currently lives in the community. I can't wait to work with our student-athletes and the Auburn family to bring championships back to the Plains."
This season, Liberty finished the regular season 8-4 with a win at Arkansas and home versus BYU, while three of their four losses came by a combined five points.
Liberty was just one of five FBS teams in the country to win a bowl game each of the last three seasons, joining Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana. It also is the second team in NCAA history to win a bowl game during its first three full seasons at the FBS level, all coming under Freeze's leadership.
"I'm pleased that our Athletics Director John Cohen conducted a detailed and thorough national search process, and I look forward to welcoming Hugh and Jill Freeze to the Plains," President Christopher B. Roberts said. "I am impressed with Coach Freeze's focus on player development and his on-the-field success at multiple universities and at multiple levels."
Freeze guided Liberty to a 10-1 overall record in 2020 and the team's first-ever national ranking as it finished No. 17 in the country. That season Liberty had the best start in program history (8-0), tied the program record for wins (10) and defeated two Power 5 programs in Syracuse and Virginia Tech. For his efforts, Freeze was a finalist for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award that season.
Known for his fast-paced offensive style, Freeze's 2020 Liberty team set a school record for rushing yards in a season in 2020 (2,776) and ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing offense. Liberty also ranked No. 15 in the country in total offense (482.7 yards per game) and No. 11 in total defense (317.7 yards per game). The Flames were one of three teams in the country to rank in the top 20 in both total offense and total defense in 2020, joining Clemson and BYU.
Spearheading Liberty's outstanding offense in 2020 was Willis who burst onto the national season leading the nation in rushing yards (944) and touchdowns (14) by a FBS quarterback. Willis earned All-America honors and was named to the Davey O'Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2020 listing was on the 2020 Maxwell Award watch list.
The Flames posted an eight-win in 2021 season after facing eight bowl-eligible teams during the 2021 season. Liberty's defense finished the 2021 season ranked No. 7 nationally in passing yards allowed, No. 11 in total defense and No. 24 in scoring defense. Offensively, Liberty finished 2021 ranked No. 25 in the country in scoring offense and No. 8 in passing yards per completion.
Leading the charge for the Flames in 2021 once again was Willis, who had an award-winning season. The quarterback was a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and the Maxwell Award and a top 10 candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
While the head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze led it back to championship form during his five seasons, guiding it to bowl games during three of his five years, including wins in the 2013 Music City bowl and the 2016 Sugar Bowl.
Freeze's time in Oxford was highlighted by a 10-3 campaign in 2015, the program's first 10-win season since 2003. The Rebels won their first four games of the 2015 season, including a 43-37 road victory over No. 2 Alabama, Ole Miss' first win in Tuscaloosa, since 1988.
The Rebels were ranked as high as No. 3 in the national polls in both 2014 and 2015 and finished top 10 in the country for the first time since 1969 after the Sugar Bowl win. Ole Miss was ranked in the top 25 for 45 weeks over his five-year tenure, including a string of 27-straight weeks in the polls for the first time since 1957-62.
In 2013, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) awarded Freeze the Grant Teaff Coach of the Year award. Freeze has been heavily involved with FCA during his entire coaching career and has been featured in the FCA Magazine and spoken at FCA functions. Freeze was also a finalist for the 2014 Bear Bryant Award and the 2014 Dobb Trophy.
