Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Hugh Freeze Gets Trolled by Lane Kiffin After Losing Four-Star Recruit

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Utsav Khanna | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 2:59 PM ET

Hugh Freeze missed out on a major offensive target for 2026 as four-star recruit JC Anderson committed to the Ole Miss Rebels over the Auburn Tigers.

To add insult to injury, Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin trolled Freeze by posting a massive fish. This was a reference to their running joke of posting caught fish after one-upping each other.

JC Anderson went on his official visit to the Tigers in mid-June, and at one point, they were confident about their bid. Their offensive coaches even saw him as someone who could add value right off the bat.

But the Rebels came out victorious, and Lane Kiffin immediately took to X and posted this for his predecessor in Auburn:

Lane Kiffin trolls Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze after Ole Miss lands 4-star TE JC Anderson over the Tigershttps://t.co/3QqWTvHpK0 https://t.co/bfXhNsCQmD pic.twitter.com/rPBWOeme7S
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 1, 2025

The tradition of using fish pictures to flex recruits started in 2022, when the two went back on forth:

@SEC IT JUST MEANS MORE https://t.co/FuoZRtbDlp pic.twitter.com/Ut2HYzHstR
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) January 6, 2022

Freeze was the head coach of Auburn from 2012 to 2016. Lane Kiffin took over in 2020.

Ever since then, both these coaches have gone back and forth whenever a high-profile flip has taken place.

The 6-foot-6 TE, Anderson, is the perfect fit for the Rebels' offense under coach Kiffin. He brings the right size, speed, and catching ability that will help stretch the field.

Kiffin's offensive schemes have historically run a lot of spread formations with athletic tight ends. Anderson will be the ideal candidate to take such a legacy forward.

According to On3, the Mt. Zion tight end were thoroughly impressed by Rebels offensive coordinator Joe Cox. He was the reason why Anderson chose them over the Tigers.

Hugh Freeze and his staff was reportedly looking forward to adding him to the roster. He was one of the top tight end recruits for them in 2026.

If Coach Freeze does not want to be trolled again, the Tigers must pull their socks up for the next recruiting season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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