Freeze frame: Why has Auburn's coaching search crawled to a halt?
Forty-eight hours after it was reported that Auburn had zeroed in on Hugh Freeze as its next head coach, all is quiet on the Tigers front.
Per On3's Steve Samra, "It's indisputable things aren't going according to plan at the moment."
On Saturday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported there was a mutual attraction between Auburn and Liberty head coach Freeze. The only thing heard from the football program since has been crickets as no official announcement has been made.
It begs the question: Is Auburn having second thoughts about going through with the hire, or is it that the program is biding its time as it readies to do damage control with a controversial hire? Is there a mystery third candidate the Tigers will look to explore?
It's hard to believe that those in charge of the coaching search thought there would be unanimous praise for hiring a coach as polarizing as Freeze. His tenure at Ole Miss ended in disgrace. Winning cures all, but Freeze hasn't done it enough to be considered a "must-hire" candidate. In five seasons as Ole Miss coach, he averaged five losses a season.
In what looked like his final game as Liberty coach this past Saturday, the Flames were snuffed out in an embarrassing 49-14 loss to New Mexico State (5-6). In the waning moments of the game, fans were heard chanting "Go to Auburn!"
At least his potential move has the blessing of one fan base.
If an Auburn deal happens, Freeze will have left Liberty on an ugly note. No one could say he didn't live up to expectations.
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