Hugh Freeze mega thread and poll [merged]

[TNnative]

No Schiano, no Freeze. Schiano wasn't guilty either. We have to find a coach that isn't morally bankrupt.

Good luck with that.

 

[MarkVol123]

Just a bit of background here. I'm from the Memphis area and used to volunteer coach at a couple of schools in the area. I know some of the assistants who were at Briarcrest at the time (and actually lived close to where Hugh lived) and some of those guys are still close with Hugh. My wife's best friend is close with Hugh's wife. Let's just say when the allegations came out in 2017, there weren't a ton of people shocked. You can go back to some of my posts before all of this stuff broke and you will see me saying he wasn't practicing what he preached. There had been these type of rumors floating around for a while.

From what I've heard about the Briarcrest stuff, it's worse than it sounds. Much more on the creepy side than the sexual side. Someone who I went to HS went (and taught at Briarcrest at that time) referred to it much like the assistant principal who seemed to somewhat enjoy giving girls corporal punishment a little too much.

Ultimately, Freeze is a flawed man but a very good head coach. He is a far superior coach to anyone we've had since Fulmer. It's a risky hire but I would rather take a shot on a guy who has proven to be very good instead of a guy that has proven that he isn't. It's not like Pruitt is squeaky clean.

My point is this: I don’t care about the cheating. Everyone cheats. I don’t really care about the call girls.

But when you market yourself, your program, and most importantly your recruiting strategy as being Joel Olsteen Lite...you better walk the walk. People weren’t mad about Hugh cheating, they were mad about his hypocrisy and his Christian celeb bs.

He has enemies all over this league and Memphis. Enemies that won’t hesitate to vaporize him the second he colors outside the lines in recruiting, which you have to do in this league.

you want to tell me he goes to an NCST type ACC job? Sure, I’ll buy it. But this league? He’s a professional pariah who would have to recruit with a scarlet letter around his neck.

in a one off situation where I need a coach to win one game? Hugh’s on my short list. As a program builder and sustainer? No thanks.

 

[Franklin Pierce]

Hey Freeze boys. When is Freeze landing in Knoxville or Tuscaloosa?

 

[MarkVol123]

Hey Freeze boys. When is Freeze landing in Knoxville or Tuscaloosa?

He can make $3-$4M a year for the next 20’years at Liberty and be at a place where his act plays. Why would he take an OC job?

Hugh should stay at Liberty or maybe take an ACC VT/NCST type job. He should not come to the SEC. Too many people have the goods on him and this league is cutthroat.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

He can make $3-$4M a year for the next 20’years at Liberty and be at a place where his act plays. Why would he take an OC job?

Hugh should stay at Liberty or maybe take an ACC VT/NCST type job. He should not come to the SEC. Too many people have the goods on him and this league is cutthroat.

You can chose a coach for the next 5 years: Jeremy Pruitt or Hugh Freeze. Who would you choose and why?

 

[Carp]

Yeah, Scott Stricklin is hiring Hugh Freeze...mmmmmmmk

Go look at where Stricklin was the AD before Florida and get back to me.

Literally the only guy less likely to hire Freeze would be Ross Bjork

That's a valid point, but that's not really the point of my post. I don't find it particularly likely either scenario happens, but I find it more plausible Freeze ends up a HC at UF than an OC at Bama.

 

[MarkVol123]

You can chose a coach for the next 5 years: Jeremy Pruitt or Hugh Freeze. Who would you choose and why?

What I think they should do and what I’ll support are two different things. I personally think you punt until next year to where you can run a proper coaching search. South Carolina had a 2 month head start and ended up hiring a last name. Auburn’s AD bucked those boosters (and we’ll see how well that goes over) and hired their probably what, 4th or 5th choice? The candidate pool is very shallow in terms of viable coaches who are willing to make a move during a pandemic. You wait and let’s say you have to blow him out in October, you’d then have 2 months to run a real search (granted, risky given the incompetence of our place), not some rush job. You may get the guy plenty of people want bc he can’t really leave Ole Miss after one year, but it’s feasible he could leave after 2. You can go kick the tires on a James Franklin. Chadwell can get another year of seasoning.

That’s what I think they should do. Now, I’ll support literally any move they make except one: hiring Hugh Freeze.

Pruitt won’t be here for 5 years, barring him pulling off a miracle.

my only defense of a Freeze move would be this: we already suck so what’s the difference.

And let’s get one thing straight: until the admin and the booster politics are cleaned up and agendas start being aligned and egos put in check, it doesn’t matter if you bring in Nick Saban..no ones winning here.

This program sucks far more than any of the previous 3 coaches they’ve hired. It’s a toxic clown show.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

My point is this: I don’t care about the cheating. Everyone cheats. I don’t really care about the call girls.

But when you market yourself, your program, and most importantly your recruiting strategy as being Joel Olsteen Lite...you better walk the walk. People weren’t mad about Hugh cheating, they were mad about his hypocrisy and his Christian celeb bs.

He has enemies all over this league and Memphis. Enemies that won’t hesitate to vaporize him the second he colors outside the lines in recruiting, which you have to do in this league.

you want to tell me he goes to an NCST type ACC job? Sure, I’ll buy it. But this league? He’s a professional pariah who would have to recruit with a scarlet letter around his neck.

in a one off situation where I need a coach to win one game? Hugh’s on my short list. As a program builder and sustainer? No thanks.

I am hopeful that you are in the vast minority and that the rest of us care about cheating. I don't want this guy as the face of my program. i probably would not cheap shot him because I have no respect for folks that feel that is their right to do so, and I don't want to be two faced, but I would cheer for victories and hope he pulls a Kiffin and gets out of here.

 

[MarkVol123]

I am hopeful that you are in the vast minority and that the rest of us care about cheating. I don't want this guy as the face of my program. i probably would not cheap shot him because I have no respect for folks that feel that is their right to do so, and I don't want to be two faced, but I would cheer for victories and hope he pulls a Kiffin and gets out of here.

Ok...look...and I really don’t know how to break this to you....but everyone cheats. It’s one thing to cheat, it’s another to claim how you “recruit a different type of kid” and “do things differently” and lean on faux Christian celeb bs while you’re running wild in recruiting. That doesn’t go over well with your competition in this league.

 

[Exiled]

You can chose a coach for the next 5 years: Jeremy Pruitt or Hugh Freeze. Who would you choose and why?

Pruitt because as a TN fan I’m starting to enjoy the beatings we get every year. Does that make me a masochist?

 

[Narco_vol]

I’d love to see Hugh the first time he loses to a Vandy (like he did twice at Ole Miss with the best team money could buy) and he spends the entire next week searching his name on Twitter.

As would I . You know he checks VN hourly for an ego stroke.

 

[MarkVol123]

As would I . You know he checks VN hourly for an ego stroke.

He has staffers go on Wikipedia and make sure that his “on field record” is always on there

 

[OriginalCoach]

He can make $3-$4M a year for the next 20’years at Liberty and be at a place where his act plays. Why would he take an OC job?

Hugh should stay at Liberty or maybe take an ACC VT/NCST type job. He should not come to the SEC. Too many people have the goods on him and this league is cutthroat.

Lol. Not saying Freezevis the answer for any SEC program but if Freeze can win games, those same people would cut their own throats to hire him. Only the ones with skeletons would be afraid not to.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Ok...look...and I really don’t know how to break this to you....but everyone cheats. It’s one thing to cheat, it’s another to claim how you “recruit a different type of kid” and “do things differently” and lean on faux Christian celeb bs while you’re running wild in recruiting. That doesn’t go over well with your competition in this league.

It's like Bama in the Memphis area HS recruiting in the 1990s. Everyone was fine until they went over the top in their cheating. Ole Miss was taking guys to the Platinum Plus, Arky was paying players, UK got busted, Bama got busted. And let's not be naive, we were competing with those same schools, recruiting the same high schools, and interacting with the same dirty HS coaches...

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Ok...look...and I really don’t know how to break this to you....but everyone cheats. It’s one thing to cheat, it’s another to claim how you “recruit a different type of kid” and “do things differently” and lean on faux Christian celeb bs while you’re running wild in recruiting. That doesn’t go over well with your competition in this league.

Would you have any problem if a mother of an Ole Miss recruit bought a billboard in Knoxville that said WARNING, this guy called a hooker for my son. Not looking for perfection, but corporate use of hookers is way over the line.

 

[DeerPark12]

That is completely false. The bylaw states that the school must consult with the commissioner and no where in the bylaws do they give the commissioner the power to veto a hire.

If you don't think that "consult the Commissioner" means he can tell them no, then I don't really know how to help you. It already happened with Freeze in 2017 and 2018. It happened with Art Briles in 2018. Kendal Briles had to go spend a day with the commissioner before Arkansas could hire him last year.

Look, you can believe what you want, that's your business. Doesn't matter to me either way. If you don't want to value the information I provide, then just scroll on past. But that doesn't make it any less true.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

If you don't think that "consult the Commissioner" means he can tell them no, then I don't really know how to help you. It already happened with Freeze in 2017 and 2018. It happened with Art Briles in 2018. Kendal Briles had to go spend a day with the commissioner before Arkansas could hire him last year.

Look, you can believe what you want, that's your business. Doesn't matter to me either way. If you don't want to value the information I provide, then just scroll on past. But that doesn't make it any less true.

That and the by-laws go into the Commissioner's powers in good detail. There's a reason why schools dont go against the Commissioner's wishes..

 

[DeerPark12]

Hate to break it to you but it was ten wins (lol we will pretend you didn’t lie about this to make your point and instead are just ignorant) Nutt never did that and Cutcliffe did it once with Eli Manning as his QB.

I'm going to guess you're just not great at reading comprehension, where I very clearly said "9 regular season wins." The 10th win for Freeze in 2015 came in a bowl game. You can value bowl wins to evaluate a coach if you want, but they don't mean jack to me.

 

[MarkVol123]

It's like Bama in the Memphis area HS recruiting in the 1990s. Everyone was fine until they went over the top in their cheating. Ole Miss was taking guys to the Platinum Plus, Arky was paying players, UK got busted, Bama got busted. And let's not be naive, we were competing with those same schools, recruiting the same high schools, and interacting with the same dirty HS coaches...

Look..John Henderson and Jamal Lewis and etc etc etc weren’t Going to college for just tuition and room and board

 

[rocytop2624]

Saying Hugh Freeze didn’t want the Auburn job is like saying a starving man doesn’t want a Christmas turkey.

Something you and everyone else needs to know about Hugh Freeze: if his mouth is moving, he’s lying

I don't like Freeze. I said Sark and people thought I was crazy that Freeze was better. But now let Pruitt coach and if he fails hire Tom Herman

 

[Narco_vol]

He has staffers go on Wikipedia and make sure that his “on field record” is always on there

That doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m not saying a change doesn’t need to be made, but we as fans get so tunnel visioned on 1 guy (Gruden ‘12, Gruden ‘17) that when we do make a hire, he doesn’t have a chance - at least on this forum.

 

[de1conley]

I don't think he made that up. That's just what he was told. Whether that result could actually be enforced is something different.

DE1conly is connected to Tennessee and the recruiting network there. Been so for a good while.

Little no need when I gv subtle hints its I make up frivolous statements. I think the info I have brought has been tested and found to be true over my time here. I don't brag yet the label I get is I want to impress kids lmao. I hv connections at pretty much any school yet I'm being told I don't know this or that. Ij laugh and kp it pushing. I said its great to be a Tennessee VOL LOL

 

[de1conley]

Bill O’Brien. Probably a Belichick connection.

Him or Adam Gabe is what I was told earlier today.

 

[Johnny Majors' Ghost]

I'm going to guess you're just not great at reading comprehension, where I very clearly said "9 regular season wins." The 10th win for Freeze in 2015 came in a bowl game. You can value bowl wins to evaluate a coach if you want, but they don't mean jack to me.

Thoughts on Doug Marrone?

 

[VOL_Lyfe]

Thoughts on Doug Marrone?

none suitable for mixed company.