From looking like a playoff contender to falling to a 4-5 record, Auburn’s championship hopes were dashed after their 10-3 loss against Kentucky. With that, even Hugh Freeze’s time at Auburn ended on a weird note, falling to a 15-19 record and 6-16 in the SEC with the Tigers. Let’s not forget he’s the same coach who came in with major stints from Ole Miss and Arkansas State and a 98-62 record, starting off as a high school coach.

But it wasn’t a straight journey, with all the controversies blocking his road. Freeze came a long way. Let’s know everything from his coaching journey to the scandals that pushed him this far.

Who is Hugh Freeze? From high school coach to SEC star?

Hugh Freeze’s football journey started at home, as his father, Danny Freeze, is a longtime high school assistant coach. Growing up on a dairy farm in Independence, Mississippi, Freeze’s life was never that easy. But those hardships shaped him as a person. “We learned about hard work. We learned to have faith in hard times. I value those lessons I learned, for sure,” he said.

Now managing dairy and his football was Freeze’s childhood. Then, as he grew older, he became an outstanding basketball, football, and baseball player. He graduated from Southern Mississippi, got married to Jill in 1992, and then started his first coaching stint as OC and defensive back coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis. Then, later in 1995, he was promoted to head coach.

Under him, his team went into the state championship in 2002, and Freeze became an overnight sensation. That success transitioned him to a college football head coach, and he kicked off his journey with Ole Miss, serving as an assistant AD for football external affairs. After that, he moved to Lambuth, Arkansas State, Liberty, and Auburn, but his second stint at Ole Miss didn’t go as planned. Controversies ended Hugh Freeze’s desire to “retire at Ole Miss.”

What is the Ole Miss recruiting scandal that rocked the SEC?

Hugh Freeze’s time at Ole Miss took a hit when a series of NCAA violations and personal misconduct forced him to resign in 2017. During the first five years, he led the Rebels to a 39-25 record with back-to-back wins over Alabama and two bowl appearances. But his recruiting success from 2013 to 2017 brought misery. As the NCAA initially reported 13 compliance violations in 2016, and also extended the investigation after Laremy Tunsil admitted to receiving money from Rebels assistants.

After that, Hugh Freeze’s team had to face 21 total violations with 15 level I infractions and a charge of “lack of institutional control.” Then came the worst phase when the university received a postseason ban for the 2017 season. Now, most of the violations happened under Freeze, but four of them happened under Houston Nutt, too. After that, he was fired in 2011. But then on July 12, 2017, he filed a defamation case against AD Ross Bjork and Freeze for accusing him and spreading a false narrative.

That’s when the problem started. While gathering evidence, he got Freeze’s call records, which were linked to a university cell phone and had 12 numbers linked to escort services between 2014 and 2017. That ended Freeze’s career with Ole Miss and also his hope of retiring being one.

What happened during Hugh Freeze’s Liberty University chapter?

The moment the misconduct news surfaced, Hugh Freeze initially called it a “misdial” to Yahoo Sports. “I’ve got no idea, to be honest… I think that might have been a misdial. I don’t think there was even a conversation. There’s nothing to it,” Freeze said. But then, later, AD Bjork confirmed that Hugh Freeze admitted his fault and left without a buyout and settlement.

Despite Hugh Freeze’s controversial exit from Ole Miss and public bashing, Liberty took the risk of taking him in. And true to his form, he showed his coaching excellence, taking Liberty to a 7-5 record and their first bowl in the program’s history in 2018. Later on, they even signed a five-year extension. But then, in 2022, Freeze made his return to the SEC at Auburn with high hopes and major backing.

What was the Briarcrest Christian School controversy?

Before his rise through the college football ranks, Hugh Freeze began his coaching career at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he served as both a football and girls’ basketball coach.

A few weeks after Freeze resigned from Ole Miss in 2017, USA Today published a report in which three former Briarcrest students described instances they considered inappropriate during his time at the school in the 1990s. One of the women, Katie Dalmasso, said Freeze made her change a shirt that violated the school’s dress code inside his office rather than in a bathroom. Another former student told the outlet that Freeze commented on her skirt length and waited nearby while she changed clothes in her car.

“Coach Freeze pulled me in his office and told me that my shirt represented drugs,’’ Dalmasso said. “I said, ‘I’ll go change in the bathroom,’ and when I said that he said, ‘No, you’re going to change in here so I get the (Grateful Dead) shirt and you can’t have it back.’ Then she further added to it, saying, “He didn’t do anything sexual. But I stood in the corner and faced the wall when I did it, and I changed out of my shirt. No privacy.’’

Freeze did not face any legal action related to the accounts, and following his departure from Ole Miss, he returned to coaching at Liberty University before being hired by Auburn as head coach in 2022.

What is Auburn’s gamble behind Hugh Freeze’s hiring despite his controversial background? 

For Hugh Freeze, getting into Auburn was a major chance to return to the SEC, and knowing his dominance against Alabama while he was at Ole Miss, even the Tigers got him in despite his controversial past. But that’s what SEC tolerance for “rehabilitated winners” is, and in Freeze hiring, that was seen as a football-oriented move. Where Tigers weren’t concerned about his past conduct, but his recruiting success and ability to win. Even Lane Kiffin had controversial and short-lived stints with Tennessee, the Raiders, and the Trojans before getting into Alabama as OC.

So, for SEC, excellence matters. But even after getting this chance, Freeze couldn’t show his success on the field and ended up losing his job at Auburn.