National Columnist Mike Farrell is here with the 3-Point Stance looking at five reasons why Hugh Freeze is the right choice for Auburn, grading the recent hires and the best jobs still out there.
Hugh Freeze to Auburn
Hugh Freeze is in at Auburn, and it’s the right fit. It may or may not work out, but here’s why he’s the right choice.
1. He beats Nick Saban
Freeze beat Nick Saban twice at Ole Miss. Shouldn’t that kind of be the beginning and the end of the job interview?
2. He knows the SEC
He’s also beaten LSU and Texas A&M multiple times and beaten Georgia and Tennessee. He knows what he’s doing in the SEC.
3. He can recruit
Question the methods if you’d like but recruiting was at an all-time high while he was at Ole Miss with 5 stars like Shea Patterson, Laremy Tunsil, Laquon Treadwell and others.
4. He develops QBs
I look to Liberty here more than Ole Miss as he’s done a masterful job. From Malik Willis to this year working with four QBs.
5. He’s beyond motivated
Freeze is one a comeback tour to the SEC and looking to erase the embarrassment of being jettisoned for recruiting and off field issues. This guy is on a mission.
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Grading Recent Hires
— Is Freeze the best recent hire? Nope, I like the two in the Big Ten even better.
1. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Farrell’s Grade: A
Do you really think Wisconsin is going to do better than the reigning national coach of the year? There’s a lot of griping around the program about how Jim Leonhard didn’t get a fair chance, but guess what kids, life isn’t fair. I think it’s much likelier that Leonhard turns into Scott Frost in Madison than Kirby Smart. Instead, AD Chris McIntosh showed that he is unafraid to break with the way things have been done and goes with an outside name and proven winner. The biggest thing that Badger fans will need to worry about is if the Ohio State job opens as Fickell feels like a lock to end up back in Columbus one day.
Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Farrell’s Grade: A
This is a really strong hire by an athletic department that is starting to realize just how far behind they’ve gotten from the rest of the Big Ten under Scott Frost. Rhule is a great talent evaluator and program builder and will have learned from his time in the pros as well. Is there a chance he leaves for greener pastures in two years? Absolutely. But that’s the case with almost any good coach in today’s college football world. Rhule’s no-nonsense demeanor will play well in Lincoln, and he should be able to help rebuild Nebraska’s national recruiting power with his ties across the country.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Farrell’s Grade: B+
See above, there are a lot of reasons to like this fit.
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Farrell’s Grade: B
The 32-year-old Oregon offensive coordinator will become the youngest coach in FBS football at his alma mater. That’s a lot of pressure for someone who is still very green in the profession. He’s done an incredible job with Bo Nix and the Ducks’ offense this year, but there are so many unknowns here especially with all the NCAA sanctions that are almost undoubtedly coming down the line. This is a rebuild situation that was probably better suited for a candidate like Rhule, who has been through something akin to this situation before, not necessarily a kid undertaking his first head coaching role. That being said, he is young and energetic and he can recruit like crazy. Those are all keys.
Best Jobs Still Available
And finally, there are some good jobs still available. Here are the best five.
1. Stanford
You are always going to have a ceiling at Stanford solely because of the academic requirements in Palo Alto. But the Stanford job is still an excellent gig. They’ve had a ton of success in the past decade-plus under two coaches, are in talent-rich California but can recruit nationwide because of their academics and they still put plenty of guys in the league. With it’s looking more and more like Stanford will end up in the Big Ten when the dust settles on realignment, there probably aren’t any better jobs that will open up during this cycle.
2. Cincinnati
First, they are the only team on this list to make the playoff. Secondly, they’re set to be in the Big 12 for next season, a nice bump to Power Five for recruiting. And third, it is a school that has got to be attractive to other coaches seeing guys like Mark Dantonio, Brian Kelly, and most recently, Luke Fickell parlay the Bearcats gig into a big-time job.
3. Georgia Tech
Location, location, location. In the heart of Atlanta, Georgia Tech has as good a location for recruiting as there is in the country. However, their academic standards and lack of consistent winning in the last thirty years makes this job an uphill battle for any coach coming in. Oh and there’s that pesky UGA team in state as well. That being said, we did see flashes under Paul Johnson, but it wasn’t something sustainable. The ACC as a conference does not offer the long-term sustainability and revenue that the SEC and Big Ten do, but they’re still in better shape than the Pac-12.
4. Colorado
Like Georgia Tech, Colorado is a program that hasn’t seen real success in thirty years and has a long way to go to rebuild. And though they’re in the same Pac-12 that Stanford is in, their future is not nearly as clear. They don’t have the prestige — athletically or academically — of the other schools in the conference that are in contention to be poached by the two major conferences. It’s also very difficult to get talent to Boulder consistently. It’s a fantastic place to be but a world away from where most of the top talent in the country is.
5. USF
Out of the remaining openings (USF, Tulsa, FAU, UNLV, Texas State, and Western Michigan), the Bulls’ position has a couple of things that the others lack. First, they’re in the American, the strongest of the Group of Five conferences. Secondly, they’re in the state of Florida, which we all know produces recruits at as high a rate as any state in the country. And third, Tampa is a part of Florida that is growing as fast as anywhere and there’s more and more talent that will slip through the cracks of the big boys in the state that the right coach can capitalize on.
