[Purple Haize]

We might have to pay Auburn $4M to take him if WOKE Auburn Twitter has it's way. Sitting in Opelika today it seems like the community is less than 50/50 on this hire with strong feelings on both sides. My wife told me as an LU fan I should recognize we are not a destination job like Auburn and should have seen this coming. She is excited for Hugh at AU. Her siblings are just waiting for AU to destroy itself from within! Ha! Either way most still expect this hire to be made in the end.

My Auburn ‘source’ said the Vox Populi would have been happy if Williams had been retained. They know he’s not quite ready but we’re willing to be patient. They won’t be with Freeze

[ballcoach15]

Freeze should have ignored any contacts from Auburn, and focused 100% on Liberty.

[Tnobes]

Exactly right Purple. Beat me to the response. Kids choose the school because of the coach recruiting them.

You want kids who bleed your school and state, not ones that follow a cult of personality, a kid should pick the school because he loves the school and wants to represent that school and get an education from that school, not one who is there for a coach and to chase an NFL dream. But college football is nothing more than prostitution (but less admirable), the coach is the pimp and the players are the "product". It's sad it's just a business now and not about the athletic experience and love of the game

That’s just not how 90% of recruiting works… not just at Liberty but all over the country. Kids don’t go to school anymore because of the actual school. They go to play for a coach who is giving them an opportunity to play through that school the game they love. They spend 80% of their time with those coaches that recruited them to said school and it’s the MAIN reason they are there. I haven’t met a kid in the past decade who said they didn’t care who the coach was they was coming to school X because it’s where they want to be. I feel like Liberty more than any other school I’ve been at has this weird overinflated sense of self worth that fans are appalled when someone like a head coach or player wants to leave to better their careers. I get it there are occasionally selfish kids who make the mistake of thinking the grass is greener and even coaches. But they will learn. And what better way to learn life lessons like that than in college? Isn’t that partially what higher Ed is for? Preparing kids for the real world? Or have we completely thrown that out the window to be a giant money making degree mill? I’ll wish whoever decides to leave good luck and thank them for their time and effort. Then I’ll move on. That’s all you can do.

I know how it works, HOW it works and HOW IT SHOULD work are 2 different things.

[Tnobes]

I know players commit to coaches and don't give a dang about education or the school, but the fact that that is the case shows we have failed miserably at raising good men. College athletics is now all about money and winning and getting to the NFL, the adults in charge should have done better, but they were no better

What about women? They play sports too.
Where do you Coe to your understanding that the players don’t care about an education? There are scores who get their undergraduate degrees early and work on their masters degree while still playing. I would suggest you reevaluate your perception.
Yes athletics is about winning. It’s why they keep score. Yes it’s about money That’s how you build these great stadiums and pay coaches $5 million in Central
VA. It’s also about education I believe the graduation rates for incoming Freshman athletes is still higher than the General Student population at large. You can Google fact check me on that. I might be wrong but not by much.

Women's sports are basically glorified intramural and men's sports that aren't football or basketball are also irrelevant, if someone got a track or baseball or tennis scholarship and tell people, nobody cares but their mom and dad. I know how college sports work, how they work and how they should work are 2 different things.

[Sly Fox]

[BlueBlood]

The only issue I have with Hugh Freeze is how poorly the team has performed the last three weeks. It’s sad now that with hindsight and timing, we all suspect it’s because his commitment was less than 100% to LU’s football team. We’ll never know for sure, but this could’ve been a pretty special season.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts. Love what he did for LU. It was a really fun ride. Will always be grateful for that. I wish him well.

However, the obviously distracted eyes/mind/heart at the end really leaves a sour taste.

Hopefully Ian can make a solid hire quickly and keep the momentum going. It is imperative, as the transfer portal has created a very volatile situation. Rosters can be decimated quickly. But, they can be built quickly too.

[Dalegarz1]

I've enjoyed reading what you all have to say-some well thought out arguments, albeit diverse. IMHO, this HAS to be the end of the Freeze era. We've got to get out of this cycle that would run every year we are successful. I realize a new coach may want to use LU as a stepping stone in the future. But we desperately need stability for the next 3-4 years, at least. Good bye, HF and thanks for your contribution-I hope you're prepared for the intensity and instability you're stepping into.

[Purple Haize]

I've enjoyed reading what you all have to say-some well thought out arguments, albeit diverse. IMHO, this HAS to be the end of the Freeze era. We've got to get out of this cycle that would run every year we are successful. I realize a new coach may want to use LU as a stepping stone in the future. But we desperately need stability for the next 3-4 years, at least. Good bye, HF and thanks for your contribution-I hope you're prepared for the intensity and instability you're stepping into.

Yeah..he just had his last softball post game press conference

[Liberty22]

This definitely showed HCHF intentions. They were to use LU as an opportunity to get back into coaching so he could get an SEC job again. I selfishly hoped he would stick around longer than he has his other institutions because ‘I felt’ like he owed Liberty for what we did for him.

In a way he really does but in another he doesn’t. At the end of the day we’re better off because we had him. This certainly does feel irreparable. It’ll be interesting to see how he and ADIM handle his “return”.

[Purple Haize]

.

[Ill flame]

I've enjoyed reading what you all have to say-some well thought out arguments, albeit diverse. IMHO, this HAS to be the end of the Freeze era. We've got to get out of this cycle that would run every year we are successful. I realize a new coach may want to use LU as a stepping stone in the future. But we desperately need stability for the next 3-4 years, at least. Good bye, HF and thanks for your contribution-I hope you're prepared for the intensity and instability you're stepping into.

As long as we are a successful program, bigger programs are going to come along and make better offers than we can. If you want a coach that wont leave immediately for better opportunities our only two options is to find a past their prime coach that is looking to retire soon or a mediocre coach that other teams won't want. There's a third option of hiring a coach with so much baggage that no one would hire them (Art Briles) but I don't think anyone wants that and if he wins enough Auburn clearly isn't above taking someone with baggage.

[jmclaughlin]

The emotions that have been stirred in this will he /won’t he debate are all a result of the great job Freeze has done with this program. LUs coach is the head candidate for the top, open SEC job. Just have that realization as your baseline of thought. Don’t miss the Forrest for the trees here.

Another factor worth mentioning here is HF’s agent, Jimmy Sexton. That dude is a master manipulator and has already leveraged 2 pay raises for both “top candidates” in Freeze and Kiffin. Sexton is the one pulling the strings here, not Freeze. Freeze is interested in the Auburn job because…why wouldn’t he be interested? I am not convinced that he has made up his mind.

I would agree with PH’s take that the optics of preparation for yesterdays game were not good. HFs demeanor seemed jaded both during and after the game. That points to a wayward move but I still think reality of being Head Ball coach at Auburn, is not as sexy as the title sounds. He has a great gig on the Mountain. Auburn is a hot bed of lunacy.

Last thought: nothing is lost if he stays. Sure, the optics look bad in the moment but the spin will be that he chose to stay. The anxiety displayed in the LU chat rooms goes away immediately.

[LU 57]

I thought I read (or heard) something about a press conference today? Any word on that?

[Purple Haize]

I’m just imagining Fredo

[thepostman]

I thought I read (or heard) something about a press conference today? Any word on that?

Someone said that It was mentioned last night on an ASOR stream on twitter that there would be a press conference today at 1 but I haven't seen anything official.

I'm also in the camp that he shouldn't be back regardless what happens with Auburn but I'm also realistic. If Auburn has a change of heart and he doesn't go, there is no way we are firing Hugh Freeze.

[Liberty_2023]

[Liberty_2023]

[LU 57]

Very interesting. Thanks for passing along. Agree with postman that it will be hard to welcome him back after hearing he has been engaged with them the last painful 3 weeks. All makes much more sense now, unfortunately…

[Purple Haize]

If Auburn doesn’t hire Freeze now…..wow….just….wow. He’s gonna need some whip cream on that humble pie

[Purple Haize]

I thought I read (or heard) something about a press conference today? Any word on that?

Someone said that It was mentioned last night on an ASOR stream on twitter that there would be a press conference today at 1 but I haven't seen anything official.

I'm also in the camp that he shouldn't be back regardless what happens with Auburn but I'm also realistic. If Auburn has a change of heart and he doesn't go, there is no way we are firing Hugh Freeze.

He still is under contract so, yeah. Not sure he could be fired For Cause. But if Auburn doesn’t hire him then it’s a cold splash of water on his face. He will need to readjust and understand that LU is where he’s going to be for a long long time. Which isn’t a bad thing. But he needs to have both feet in the door instead of one foot in and one foot out

[thepostman]

I'd be curious to see if anybody transfers out if Hugh ends up staying. The players were clearly hurt by his lack of transparency that he has always promised to them.

[JK37]

Has Freeze not recuperated his reputation enough to satisfy the majority that he is a changed man? What is the crux of the blowback Auburn is receiving? Is it really still what he did 6+ years ago? Because all indications are he has rehabilitated and is clean now.

[JK37]

I'd be curious to see if anybody transfers out if Hugh ends up staying. The players were clearly hurt by his lack of transparency that he has always promised to them.

Honest question: how was he not transparent? When they asked him, he answered honestly.

He could’ve BS’ed it for one more win. He told them the truth when they asked him. What more can be asked for?

(If he wasn’t all-in the last 3 weeks, that’s not a lack of transparency. That’s…..something else.)

[LU 57]

I'd be curious to see if anybody transfers out if Hugh ends up staying. The players were clearly hurt by his lack of transparency that he has always promised to them.

The press conference felt like he was playing Clintonesque word games. He said he had not been offered the job, but if reports are true, Sexton sure had been, since they were talking numbers.

[thepostman]

I'd be curious to see if anybody transfers out if Hugh ends up staying. The players were clearly hurt by his lack of transparency that he has always promised to them.

Honest question: how was he not transparent? When they asked him, he answered honestly.

He could’ve BS’ed it for one more win. He told them the truth when they asked him. What more can be asked for?

(If he wasn’t all-in the last 3 weeks, that’s not a lack of transparency. That’s…..something else.)

I wasn't there obviously but if his answer to them was similar to what he gave the press then it smelled of bs. Sure, he was honest that there was no contract offered but he played it off and used coach speak. He preached to them about finishing well and the last 3 weeks he failed them and didn't finish well. Players can smell the bs and they clearly did considering they barely showed up yesterday.