A Sea Of Red

Typical coach speak. Didn’t say yeah or no. Mushchamp and Freeze share an agent so you know there is mutual interest.

The extension means nothing if you think he’s locked in on staying here. Alfred signed a 10 yr extension with New Mexico to only bolt for UCLA days later.

If he does leave, it shouldn’t be a surprise. It was expected he’ll be here 2-3 years before bolting for a P5 job. He put us in a very good spot for the future.

The Vols job would be a far more interesting opening than SC.

TDDance234 wrote: ↑November 16th, 2020, 2:03 pm The Vols job would be a far more interesting opening than SC.

I really only see the Tennessee job (because of his ties to the state) and the Auburn job as the only ones that could pull HCHF away.

Here are some more outtakes from Hugh Freeze's press conference today

HUGH FREEZE PC QUOTES: NC STATE, USC JOB, LU’S VISION
By: Jon Manson

I’M SURE YOU’VE HEARD JERRY SR’S VISION FOR ATHLETICS, HE SPOKE ABOUT BEING ON THE FIELD WITH NOTRE DAME. IS THERE ANY PART OF YOU THAT CONSIDERS THAT IN WHAT YOU’VE DONE AND ARE YOU COGNIZANT THAT HAS BEEN THE GOAL?

“Yeah. I love walking in this vision that he cast in 1971. You just feel kind of very blessed and favored. My daughter takes care of keeping me updated on the social media world. She uses my account sometimes to keep up with things when I don’t really feel like I need to get on it. She showed me something, I guess it was Saturday, where it had a picture of three 8-0 teams and it was BYU, Notre Dame, and Liberty. Man, I just thought to myself, boy, I bet Jerry Sr is smiling. Obviously, there are many people that have followed in his steps that has joined. You know really, it’s funny that we’re talking about this week the obedience of Noah for 43,800 days for a vision that he believed would come true when many, many others, I thought, while he was building a boat in a desert, they probably thought come on man. As my players said this morning, they said, he would say, he’s trippin’. There’s probably been many people that probably felt the same way about Jerry Sr’s vision. Thankfully there have been some people, Jerry Jr and many others, that believed in it, and the administration here. Are we ready to line up and beat Notre Dame? Probably not, but I’d like to try. Maybe we can play them in a bowl game or something, that would be awesome. It’s pretty neat for sure, to get this program closer to what Jerry Sr.’s original vision was.”

I've been on the payroll at LU for 35 years and have seen many coaches come and go, but this HF quote almost brings tears to my eyes. And he's RIGHT.

Are we ready to line up and beat Notre Dame? Probably not, but I’d like to try. Maybe we can play them in a bowl game or something, that would be awesome. It’s pretty neat for sure, to get this program closer to what Jerry Sr.’s original vision was.

If he has caught the vision, he may be here a while.

FlamesHighontheTide wrote: ↑November 8th, 2020, 8:50 pm I would bet my house, my salary(which aint much haha) and my car HCHF doesn't leave this year. We get a chance to go into Oxford next year and beat Ole Miss and you think he will pass that up, no way. Another year of Malik Willis in this offense as well. I really don't see him leaving unless Bama, Tennessee or Auburn come calling.

Add FSU to it

Only really good job among that group is Alabama. All others have negative's even though they are SEC and 1 ACC.

Cider Jim wrote: ↑November 16th, 2020, 3:40 pm I've been on the payroll at LU for 35 years and have seen many coaches come and go, but this HF quote almost brings tears to my eyes. And he's RIGHT.

Are we ready to line up and beat Notre Dame? Probably not, but I’d like to try. Maybe we can play them in a bowl game or something, that would be awesome. It’s pretty neat for sure, to get this program closer to what Jerry Sr.’s original vision was.

Habakkuk 2:1-3

All the talk, press, and interviews can be a distraction for team and staff going into game Saturday. He needs to really put a lid on this and get all to focus on this team solely and the task at hand this coming weekend. Needs to check the ego and refrain from giving interviews outside of the local beat writers and ASOR. IMHO.

That’s ridiculous on so many levels. Ego...really? Also, pretty sure many of the best coaches get on National Radio or Sports Shows at various times throughout the season. Helps with exposure and it’s not like Freeze is new to all this and can’t balance things effectively.

after listening to the pc today, i feel much better.

In other news, nervous hens in Conway: https://www.coastalfans.com/forum/index ... =60714.105

FLAMEfromBAMA wrote: ↑November 16th, 2020, 8:19 pm That’s ridiculous on so many levels. Ego...really? Also, pretty sure many of the best coaches get on National Radio or Sports Shows at various times throughout the season. Helps with exposure and it’s not like Freeze is new to all this and can’t balance things effectively.

Yet not everybody responds to speculation. https://247sports.com/Article/South-Car ... 154857555/

For those who missed the interview

That one kind of makes me think he is gone. The wife reminding him to “live where your feet are”, “stay grounded” and “finish well” isn’t necessarily encouraging lingo.

It also means Jill has influence here. He's openly said that the biggest sin that came out of ole miss was his ego.

BlueBlood wrote:That one kind of makes me think he is gone. The wife reminding him to “live where your feet are”, “stay grounded” and “finish well” isn’t necessarily encouraging lingo.

I understand this feeling and have felt it multiple times but I think he will stay. Coach obviously has a lot of confidence in his abilities and his system. I like that he has that confidence and his rhetoric and speaking style naturally reflect that . I find it encouraging that in the latest interviews he is using less "they" when referring to LU and more "we" and "us". I do take him at his word that he and his family are truly enjoying their life right now. I think his ego naturally runs toward a restless searching for the next challenge but that is what makes him a great leader. My prediction is he stays at least one more year and if his language continues to shift more towards "we" and we continue to progress in recruiting and win games he might just find his biggest challenge might be to stay faithful and build a powerhouse where the majority of people on the outside looking in say it is not possible!

Would like to believe HF has some goals at Liberty. I think he knows his stock will continue to rise and he extends his success at Liberty. No need for him to rush it - when the right opportunity comes along, he'll know. In the meantime, I have to believe there are some very measurable milestones a coach like HF has. You also become invested in the players you are recruiting. Liberty's ability to attract a higher caliber athlete is exciting. We are beginning to win the recruiting battle for P5 kids. That just means more success considering the schedule we are playing. There are very few G5 schools that will be able to compete with us. We are becoming an "elite" G5 school.

If/When he does leave - he'll be taking on a whole new set of challenges. A man needs to be ready to take those on. I think most people want to enjoy the fruit of their labor for a season. They don't want to leave prematurely and wonder "what if".

Continue to pray for HF and his family. There isn't any other school or fan base that will be lifting HF and his family up in prayer. Liberty is a special place.

Perhaps this is hopeful thinking but he is at LU because he needed to rehab a reputation for lack of integrity. By all appearances, he is doing it well. However, having signed two extensions before the end of his second year, I'm not sure the optics look good if he bails so soon. Certainly not this year, and maybe not even after next year. In his position, he may need to stand by his word/contract at least a bit longer than most coaches.

Only time will tell. If he moves on, that would be the down side to all this success. It would be more surprising if he moves on before Willis graduates though.

However long we get to keep him the reality is it has been a blessing. More interviews with ESPN, CBS Sport, Finebaum and others, legitimate heisman talk on Malik from different sources, more ESPNU games(thanks COVID), bowl win, 8-0 to start this season, beating Tech, Syracuse and hopefully NC State, 4 star top 300 recruit in Khristian Zachary that made national recruiting news. I seriously doubt if any of that happens without Freeze.

My thoughts on Hugh leaving after this year or next has changed to NO WAY. His youngest daughter is a freshman at LU and she absolutely loves it there. He keeps talking about how much his wife and daughters love it and I think that matters more to him than even going back to the SEC. Also, he said in an interview this week that he doesn't even know if one of those special places came calling that he would jump ship. Obviously only time will tell, but I don't see him leaving until his youngest has graduated from LU.

It can definitely happen. Only Hugh knows what's inside Hugh. LU is a unique situation, so it's plausible.

Maybe I'm inferring this wrong, but taking the interview language and demeanor he used, I think he's here for a while longer. The takeaway for me is he is "at peace" on the mountain. HCHF knows where he's been, and how he got back to where he is now...he speaks often about a "loyalty" to LU. I think he is a different coach than SEC Coach Hugh Freeze. As I've said before, I believe his spiritual and personal expectations for himself (along with his family's influence) play equally if not more into his decisions going forward, perhaps moreso than any other time in his life. Being "at peace", having "loyalty", and the clear checks-and-balances of his wife, reveal to me.....he is where he wants to be, where he knows he needs to be, and where God has positioned him to be. Just IMHO...

BlueBlood wrote: ↑November 18th, 2020, 8:46 am That one kind of makes me think he is gone. The wife reminding him to “live where your feet are”, “stay grounded” and “finish well” isn’t necessarily encouraging lingo.

Personally couldn't disagree more. What about "where your feet are." Makes you think he's leaving?