Hugh Freeze, topic of conversation:
Many conversations in the hallways and lobbies inside Opryland Hotel centered on Ole Miss. Coaches here anticipate NCAA sanctions for the Rebels in the next two or three months — presuming there is not another round of investigation, which still remains a possibility.
Some coaches and industry sources are of the opinion that the results will wind up costing coach Hugh Freeze his job. One of those sources said he believes Freeze “is on the hot seat as much as any coach in the country.”
Another coach pointed out that skepticism — and maybe jealousy, to some extent — is perhaps causing coaches to wish for doom in Oxford more than it will actually come. But even those close to the program seem to be bracing for NCAA impact.
At their most optimistic, people inside the football building are hopeful that, like the Miami case, the hovering cloud and perpetual fear wind up being worse than the punishment itself.
“With the NCAA, you just never know,” one industry source said. “Impossible to predict.”
Vultures, vultures everywhere.
If coaches are saying this to the media, one can only guess what they’re saying to recruits and their families. The great thing is that they can play the faux concern card on the recruiting trail and still get plenty of mileage out of the sheer uncertainty surrounding the program right now. In that light, another round of NCAA investigation putting off Judgment Day a while longer would be a bug, not a feature, for Freeze.
By the way, Ole Miss currently sits next to last in the current 247 SEC team recruiting rankings.
Hard to see how Freeze survives this, though his aw shucks, televangelist act plays very well in Oxford, so who knows.
It’s interesting that the market seems to believe the hammer is coming. I guess we’ll see. Ultimately, there needs to be pain for that 2013 class.
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It couldn’t happen to a better group. They were as bad as the Barn’s fans were in 2010. All of that and Ole Miss still hasn’t appeared in an SECCG. Freeze should be fired for that alone.
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They were one 4th and 22 away from it.
Is that worse than being 3 yards away?
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At least 3 yards away was from a national title shot – the 4th and 22 is as close as Ole Miss has gotten to a SEC title shot
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They spent all that money to go 5–7 this year…if Freeze’s head doesn’t roll for that, someones’ gonna.
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Best 7 loss team in the nation. 🙂
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Karma is catching up with Ole Miss. Wonder why it never catches up with the two schools in Alabama. The SEC is all I can think of. What say you?
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Alabama had two almost back to back rounds of probation and scholarship reductions in the years prior to Saban showing up. Auburn, like Florida, was put on “death penalty watch” in the 1980’s-early 1990’s and just hasn’t been caught red handed since.
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Well, they are 2-8 vs lowly Georgia the last ten years. Hell, even Kirby found a way to beat them.
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What has caused the precipitous drop in recruiting? Are recruits being wary because of the investigation or have the Rebs have changed their recruiting tactics because of the investigation?
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Yes.
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Unless I missed it, Ole Miss didnt ban themselves from a bowl this season, right?
Like why didnt they announce a bowl ban when it was pretty obvious they were not going to make a bowl.
Does Ole Miss really think they can skate on this with no bowl ban, or what?
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Of course Ole Miss is next to last. They fired their bagman. Plus, you don’t jaywalk in front of the traffic cop. Hard for Ole Miss to “recruit” right now.
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Freeze reminds me of Gary Hart, I dare you to catch me. Well time to pay the piper.
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Gary Hart, very interesting observation.
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Laremy Tunsil going to cost them a whole lot more than they ever budgeted for.
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Impossible to predict what NCAA will do. That’s the problem right there.
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