Report: Liberty's Hugh Freeze unlikely to get Auburn job

Despite many rumors linking Hugh Freeze to the Auburn job, it does not sound like the Liberty coach is a leading candidate.

According to John Talty and Matt Zenitz of al.com, sources say Freeze is not expected to ultimately get the Auburn job. There is a sense that Freeze would be more interested in the Tennessee job and would prefer to pursue that should it come open.

One name in the mix is current Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Some even believe Steele is the front-runner to get the job, and he has significant support among some of the program’s most influential boosters. He has previous head coaching experience, albeit an unsuccessful stint at Baylor from 1999 through 2002.

Since Gus Malzahn’s firing, Freeze was consistently listed as a leading candidate. It seems he’s not really in the picture at all. Even more surprising is the fact that Auburn may look in-house for its new coach instead of making a big splash after all the money involved in firing Malzahn.