Auburn has been in discussion with Liberty‘s Hugh Freeze for weeks about him becoming the school’s next football coach, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Sources said the Tigers are not expected to make a formal offer until after Saturday’s Iron Bowl game against Alabama, but the sides have informally discussed a contract for more than a week.
Auburn’s pursuit of Freeze has come into focus as Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said earlier this week that he intended to stay with the Rebels even if the Tigers offered him their head-coaching position. Sources told ESPN’s Chris Low on Saturday that Kiffin has reiterated to Ole Miss staff and officials that he is staying at the school.
Freeze would return to the SEC after spending five seasons at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016. Freeze went 39-25 for the Rebels before he resigned in July 2017 after being found to have used a university-provided cellphone to call a number associated with an escort service.
But the 53-year-old rose back to prominence with the Flames. After Turner Gill went 6-6 in Liberty’s first full-time FBS season in 2018, Freeze raised the bar, going 8-5, 10-1 and 8-5 in his first three seasons. That run included a Cure Bowl victory over No. 9 Coastal Carolina in 2020.
The Flames are 8-3 this season, including a win over Arkansas on Nov. 5.
Sources told ESPN that Freeze’s history of winning and the study of his analytics and quarterback development made him attractive. Auburn officials also considered Freeze an elite fit in the community, with an outgoing nature that fits the program’s small-town vibe.
Freeze had signed a new eight-year contract with Liberty in October. His salary, which sources told Thamel was just under $5 million per year, put him among the highest-paid coaches in the Group of 5.
Auburn fired Bryan Harsin on Oct. 31 after a four-game losing streak dropped the Tigers to 3-5 on the season. They are 2-1 under interim coach Cadillac Williams, a former star running back at the school.