It is not often that coaching hires could line up. Takes timing with that coach and a school having an opening. Like Tennessee with Barnes.
This is what Hugh Freeze is IMO:
1) Proven winner and proven big game coach. If anyone doubted what he did at Ole Miss know that he has beaten Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Southern Miss this year with a Liberty team that went 6-6 before he got there. He has also beaten Nick Saban multiple times and he did it with Ole Miss.
2) He can score. We all understand where football is in 2020. If you can't score then you are dead. Doesn't matter what kind of defense you have. UGA has the best defense in the country and have been blown up by the 2 good offenses they played. LSU torched everyone last year including UGA and Clemson's elite defense. Nick Saban saw this trend happening and he totally changed his philosophy.
3) Will crush in recruiting at a big time school- obviously he has a past but if you listen to him or are in a room with him for 2 minutes you will understand why he gets players. He is a people person and just has natural charisma. There will be the "He cheated" comments about getting guys to Ole Miss and we understand that happens all over the country in recruiting. His came to light. No condoning cheating to get guys but that is a reality of recruiting in college athletics unfortunately and it happens all over the country.
4) Personal life- obviously he had some very public ugly things come out in 2016. Some will have strong feelings of not wanting to touch that with a 10 foot pole. What I saw was someone who got lost in the lifestyle of being a big time HC. I then saw a person get broken by what he had done, own it and then work to be forgiven for it. Went to therapy and saved his marriage and his relationship with his kids. He then went around speaking where he talked openly how he had blown it and made no excuses for it and how he was working to grow as a person. That is not easy, it is embarrassing ESPECIALLY when you had been open about your relationship as a Jesus follower.
The other sad reality is the world of big time coaches personal life isn't always pretty. Now that very rarely gets made public in the way Freeze's did. And not comparing his situation to anyone else's. But many of these fellow coaches aren't in a spot to cast stones.
Someone is going to hire Hugh Freeze. As long as Sankey allows him in the SEC it will probably be a team in this league. If I was a school like South Carolina I would be all in.
Tennessee- I don't know what would happen if Pruitt had a QB and another recruiting class. It looks really bad right now and is getting worse. It is rare that the stars align for you to get a home run hire for your coach. Freeze would come here and he would kill it. Looked like we had Mullen but he waited us out for Florida. Proven coaches don't move around today. You have to roll the dice with a mid major coach making the step to the SEC. Or a coordinator as a 1st time HC.
I am 99.9% sure Fulmer wouldn't even consider Freeze. Just like we have been told that Fulmer would have never considered Lane Kiffin.
But if I am AD I am thinking long and hard about a proven winner who will recruit and go out and win big games and someone who would walk to campus if given a shot. Those chances are rare. Probably best to capitalize because someone is going to.
Side note- Freeze would kill with Kadon Salter.
This is what Hugh Freeze is IMO:
1) Proven winner and proven big game coach. If anyone doubted what he did at Ole Miss know that he has beaten Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Southern Miss this year with a Liberty team that went 6-6 before he got there. He has also beaten Nick Saban multiple times and he did it with Ole Miss.
2) He can score. We all understand where football is in 2020. If you can't score then you are dead. Doesn't matter what kind of defense you have. UGA has the best defense in the country and have been blown up by the 2 good offenses they played. LSU torched everyone last year including UGA and Clemson's elite defense. Nick Saban saw this trend happening and he totally changed his philosophy.
3) Will crush in recruiting at a big time school- obviously he has a past but if you listen to him or are in a room with him for 2 minutes you will understand why he gets players. He is a people person and just has natural charisma. There will be the "He cheated" comments about getting guys to Ole Miss and we understand that happens all over the country in recruiting. His came to light. No condoning cheating to get guys but that is a reality of recruiting in college athletics unfortunately and it happens all over the country.
4) Personal life- obviously he had some very public ugly things come out in 2016. Some will have strong feelings of not wanting to touch that with a 10 foot pole. What I saw was someone who got lost in the lifestyle of being a big time HC. I then saw a person get broken by what he had done, own it and then work to be forgiven for it. Went to therapy and saved his marriage and his relationship with his kids. He then went around speaking where he talked openly how he had blown it and made no excuses for it and how he was working to grow as a person. That is not easy, it is embarrassing ESPECIALLY when you had been open about your relationship as a Jesus follower.
The other sad reality is the world of big time coaches personal life isn't always pretty. Now that very rarely gets made public in the way Freeze's did. And not comparing his situation to anyone else's. But many of these fellow coaches aren't in a spot to cast stones.
Someone is going to hire Hugh Freeze. As long as Sankey allows him in the SEC it will probably be a team in this league. If I was a school like South Carolina I would be all in.
Tennessee- I don't know what would happen if Pruitt had a QB and another recruiting class. It looks really bad right now and is getting worse. It is rare that the stars align for you to get a home run hire for your coach. Freeze would come here and he would kill it. Looked like we had Mullen but he waited us out for Florida. Proven coaches don't move around today. You have to roll the dice with a mid major coach making the step to the SEC. Or a coordinator as a 1st time HC.
I am 99.9% sure Fulmer wouldn't even consider Freeze. Just like we have been told that Fulmer would have never considered Lane Kiffin.
But if I am AD I am thinking long and hard about a proven winner who will recruit and go out and win big games and someone who would walk to campus if given a shot. Those chances are rare. Probably best to capitalize because someone is going to.
Side note- Freeze would kill with Kadon Salter.
