Report: New Hugh Freeze contract contains key provision

Jul 13, 2017; Hoover, AL, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze speaks to media during SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Winfrey Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports

Hugh Freeze signed a new contract with Liberty that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the Group of 5. However, it does not necessarily guarantee a long-term stay.

Freeze agreed to a new eight-year deal with Liberty which will pay him nearly $5 million per year, a huge sum for a Group of 5 school. The new deal comes with Freeze being linked to Power 5 jobs, though, so a great deal of the speculation gravitated toward the buyout provision.

According to Ross Dellenger of SI, Freeze’s new buyout is not high enough to ward off likely interest from notable power conference schools, including those in the SEC.

Liberty and Hugh Freeze have agreed to a new contract that extends through the 2030 season and will pay him nearly $5 million a year, sources confirm to @SINow. ESPN first.

The buyout is not hefty enough to keep a certain SEC team in, say, Alabama from potentially poaching him.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 28, 2022

With Bryan Harsin believed to be on the hot seat at Auburn, Freeze is regarded as a strong possibility to replace him. Freeze was linked to the Auburn job before Harsin got it too, but those links apparently were not serious.

In other words, despite the new deal, Freeze’s future may still lie elsewhere. If it does not, though, he’ll be well-compensated either way.