Hugh Freeze is an Ole Miss Rebel. He said so himself on Twitter earlier today. This tweet comes after contract negotiations ended in a verbal agreement between Athletics Director Ross Bjork and Jimmy Sexton, the coaches agent.
The new deal for Coach Freeze will include the state maximum four-year contract worth about $4 million a year. The negotiations started earlier this season as reported by Parrish Alford of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, but they picked up when rumors that Florida was interested surfaced.
It also helped that Freeze led his Rebels to a huge Egg Bowl victory last Saturday over bitter rival Mississippi State. Freeze is leading Ole Miss to its third straight bowl game in as many years, so his contract is well deserved.
What does Hugh Freeze mean to Ole Miss? My answer: Everything.
Freeze has been the savior for the historic Ole Miss program. Two marquee wins over Mississippi State in 2012 and 2014, an improbable win over LSU in 2013, a thrashing of Texas A&M and an upset over Alabama both in 2014 are his highlights. He also has brought some of the nations best recruits to Oxford each year including OL Laremy Tunsil, DT Robert Nkemdiche, WR Laquon Treadwell and many more.
Though he is losing his starting quarterback and a few veteran leaders, Freeze is poised for more improvement for the years to come.
See my story about Freeze from earlier this season, Wilderness No More, for more on Coach Freeze’s success.
Connor Hennessey is a writer and radio host in Oxford, Miss. He can be reached by email at cmhennes@go.olemiss.edu or @ConnorHennes on Twitter. Follow the Rebels at OleMissSports.com.
