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Is Hugh Freeze the second best coach in the SEC right now?

Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:28 pm
Posted by DawginSC
Member since Aug 2022
6216 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:28 pm
Kirby Smart is #1 with Saban having retired.

Of all the rest, only one coach has ever beaten Kirby Smart as a head coach... that being Hugh Freeze when he was at Ole Miss in Smart's first season as a head coach.

Lebby, Sark, Deboer, Elko and Venables haven't played Kirby yet so they could be in the mix. Everyone else have tried and failed multiple times against Smart.
Posted by Ag Zwin
Member since Mar 2016
21288 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:29 pm to
I notice you asked this after Jimbo left.






/s
This post was edited on 5/9/24 at 12:30 pm
Posted by Lord of the Hogs
Member since Sep 2023
2522 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:31 pm to
New Mexico State says no.
Posted by Tideroller
Lower Alabama
Member since Jan 2022
2788 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:36 pm to
No. It's:

1. DeBoer

2. Smart
Posted by Willietd
Member since Apr 2017
1889 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:36 pm to
Perhaps compare coaching resumes beyond one game in Kirbys 1st season.
Posted by Pettifogger
Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
Member since Feb 2012
81237 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:40 pm to
Obviously you're trolling LSU fans but Hugh can probably catapult into the top 5 pretty quickly if the turnaround goes well.

And it's true that Deboer and Sark could move down equally quickly (not saying they will) starting next season.

T1 - Kirby

T2 - Tested but short of elite status: Lane and Kelly

T2 - Potentially elite but TBD in the SEC: DeBoer and Sark
Posted by 3down10
Member since Sep 2014
26889 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:44 pm to
quote:

Sark


Has 1 good season as HC in his entire career, otherwise averages 7 wins a year.

Posted by Henry Jones Jr
Member since Jun 2011
70447 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:45 pm to
I would take him back tomorrow if we didn’t have Kiffin. He shouldn't have been fired. We should have suspended him for a season, taken the NCAA punishment and moved on.

It all worked out in the end but I’m still pissed at our administration for ousting him. If the Auburn boosters get the frick out of his way and give him the support he needs, they will be winning 9+ games a year starting in year 3
This post was edited on 5/9/24 at 12:49 pm
Posted by BigScoreboard
Member since May 2021
1369 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:45 pm to
No
Posted by 167back
Dos Gris
Member since Jun 2012
4760 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:46 pm to
Short answer NO. Long answer NO he's not
Posted by ukraine_rebel
North Mississippi
Member since Oct 2012
2585 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:48 pm to
At the end of 2015, Freeze was the second best coach in the SEC. I think that's a pretty fair assessment if you go back and look at who was coaching at the time. The NCAA wrecked the program during the following offseason and it was spiraling by the time Freeze was let go.

However, that was 8 years ago. The game, the way programs are built, have changed dramatically. So to try and say he's the second best coach b/c of what he accomplished 8 years ago, is just inaccurate. He's going to have to show he can build a program with the new way of doing things before being considered that highly.
Posted by GooseSix
Member since Jun 2012
20259 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 12:58 pm to
quote:

New Mexico State says no.





Posted by Stidham8
Member since Aug 2018
7693 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 1:05 pm to
He very well may be. The talent he’s bringing in is at the highest level since the Chizik era.
Posted by RT1941
Member since May 2007
30745 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 1:06 pm to
It's been 8 yrs since Freeze was considered among the best in this conference. Things have changed will he evolve?

Freeze wants to build relationships, team loyalty, player comradery and he wants to have a genuine personal relationship with his players. He wants to build with high school talent & mix in a few portal guys to plug holes until the roster is dependable and he can train them on his system.

Can he juggle re-recruiting his own players, evaluating high school talent, recruiting the portal in addition to raising his own funds for NIL plus the demands of actually coaching his players, game planning, and in-game play calling?
This post was edited on 5/9/24 at 1:24 pm
Posted by Leto II
Arrakis
Member since Dec 2018
22731 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 1:06 pm to
No
/thread
Posted by Double Down
Mayor of St. George
Member since Dec 2007
6910 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 1:21 pm to
Anyone that thinks Freeze is in the top half of the league is an idiot.
Posted by Leto II
Arrakis
Member since Dec 2018
22731 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 1:32 pm to
quote:

Anyone that thinks Freeze is in the top half of the league is an idiot.

Top half? Go ahead and name the 7 that are better than he is.
Posted by BevoBucks
H-town
Member since Dec 2022
5247 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 1:35 pm to
quote:

Is Hugh Freeze the second best coach in the SEC right now?
It’s interesting because the man is brilliant in many ways. He has the potential to be #2. But, he’s also not very bright. He can just as easily be #12 depending on the day. That lack of consistency will eventually drive Auburn fans mad.
Posted by TailbackU
ATL
Member since Oct 2005
11516 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 1:36 pm to
We shall see. After a steep learning curve and some improved personnel moves he’s got his staff and (mostly) his players in there so I expect ‘25 will be his litmus test. I expect us to be improved this year in ‘24 but nothing spectacular. He had a very good class and another one brewing, and he has used the portal to fit some immediate needs but he still doesn’t have the right QB for his system yet.
Posted by TrueLefty
St. Louis County
Member since Oct 2017
15753 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 1:50 pm to
quote:


Obviously you're trolling LSU fans but Hugh can probably catapult into the top 5 pretty quickly if the turnaround goes well.

And it's true that Deboer and Sark could move down equally quickly (not saying they will) starting next season.

T1 - Kirby

T2 - Tested but short of elite status: Lane and Kelly

T2 - Potentially elite but TBD in the SEC: DeBoer and Sark

I would leave everything off until this coming season. Drinkwitz might be the next upcoming HC. He is doing very well after letting go of running the offense to focus on being the HC. After this season we will all get an idea where each HC will be ranked in the SEC.
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