Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Hugh Freeze is back home.

Freeze, who grew up less than an hour from Oxford, Miss., was named the head coach at Ole Miss on Monday. The Senatobia, Miss., native and former Arkansas State head coach was introduced during a 2 p.m. press conference.

“This is a destination place for me,” Freeze said. “This is not a stop along the path. ... This is home to me."

Freeze, 42, has spent the last two years at Arkansas State, including one year as offensive coordinator and one as head coach. ASU won 10 games and the Sun Belt Conference championship this season and is headed to the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Freeze agreed to a four-year contract worth a minimum of $1.5 million annually. He can earn up to $2.5 million per year based on incentives and bonuses.

Archie Manning, a former Ole Miss player and co-chair of the Ole Miss search committee, welcomed Freeze in a video on the official Rebels’ website. He said Freeze possessed the ability to “build a staff, recruit this part of the country, develop student-athletes and galvanize the fan base.”

“[The search] committee was immediately wowed by his plan, his energy, his track record for recruiting and his ability to win and win the right way,” Manning said. 

Ole Miss hired Freeze to replace Houston Nutt, who was fired after going 24-26 at the school, including 1-15 in the SEC the last two seasons. Rebels fans have been split by the tenure of Nutt and outgoing Athletic Director Pete Boone.

Ole Miss is currently in the “wilderness,” Freeze said during an introductory speech that had the feel of a tent revival. Freeze worked the room with a microphone in hand and did not stand behind the podium while outlining his plan for the Rebels’ program, which included the same “Its” he outlined at Arkansas State.

Freeze was an assistant for then Rebels Coach Ed Oregon from 2005-08 and served as recruiting coordinator in 2006 (ninth-ranked class nationally) and 2007 (25th-ranked class). He was not retained on Ole Miss' staff by Nutt and went from there to NAIA Lambuth (Tenn.) where he compiled a 20-5 record in two seasons.

Using his Mississippi roots as a selling point, Freeze asked for "a chance."

“It’s not what the internet says about them. It’s not what the media says about them,” Freeze said. “... They don’t get to define for us what we think about ourselves. It’s up to us in that room.