If you had heard the name Hugh Freeze prior to last December, it was probably because you’ve seen the movie “The Blind Side.” Freeze, who is now the head coach at Ole Miss, was Michael Oher’s high school coach and was depicted in the motion picture about Oher’s journey to the NFL. And if Ole Miss recruits know him as that dude who coached Oher in high school, Freeze says that’s just fine by him.
“No doubt, it helps … it’s an instant icebreaker for our assistant coaches or me, particularly for kids who have not heard of Hugh Freeze outside of the states of Mississippi, Tennessee or Arkansas — places I have coached,” Freeze said Tuesday according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think everyone has at least knowledge, if not seen the movie ‘The Blind Side,’ the story of Michael Oher, which is a great introduction to who we are and how we want to go about treating your young son if he joins us. I definitely think it’s something we should use (in recruiting).”
If something works, roll with it — especially when you’re trying to convince high school kids that your university is the best choice for them to further their careers. Freeze said even if recruits don’t bring up “The Blind Side” or the Oher connection, he will.
As Eye on Football pointed out, Ole Miss currently has a shot at the consensus No. 1 recruit in the 2013 class. If the Rebels want to compete in the SEC, having that dude from the movies coaching the team might actually help somewhere along the line.
