Coach Freeze walks to the sideline in the final moments of the game Saturday. DM Photo | Kayla Beatty
Rumors have been swirling ever since the firing of Will Muschamp at the University of Florida.
On Nov. 17, Florida announced Muschamp would not return to the program after the 2014 season. Muschamp finished 6-5 for the 2014 season and 27-20 in four seasons as the Gators’ head coach.
After Ole Miss’ win over Mississippi State Saturday night, Freeze was asked about the rumors of him entertaining the Florida head coaching position and for his thoughts on the job opening.
Freeze was amused by the question after a program win.
“It’s amazing to me how many things put on the internet that re now believable,” Freeze said about the rumors. “I am blessed to be the head football coach at The University of Mississippi, my home, and I work for great people in Ross (Bjork) and Chancellor (Dan) Jones.”
The rumors were officially squashed Tuesday morning, as the third-year head coach and the university have agreed on a contract extension that will keep Freeze in Oxford for at least the next four years.
With a verbal agreement solidifying a new contract in place, Freeze will be paid around $4 million per year.
Both Hugh Freeze and athletic director Ross Bjork tweeted early Tuesday morning expressing their excitement on the new deal in place.
“Proud that we have @CoachHughFreeze leading our program & young men for a long time to come. Agreement is in place & future is bright!” Bjork tweeted at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday morning.
The agreement on the new contract was first reported by the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
Rumors started to float around in the world of college football as early as last week that Freeze was in contact with Florida about the head coaching vacancy in Gainesville. Freeze was quick to deny the rumors of being in contact with Florida. ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reported Monday that Florida never contacted Freeze or Ole Miss about the head coaching vacancy.
SBnation.com even reported late Sunday that Florida offered Freeze the Gator head coaching job and a salary range of $4.2 to $4.3 million per year.
There would be reason for Freeze to leave for Florida. Florida is arguably a top five head coaching position and is in need of an offensive-minded coach. The Rebels have averaged over 30 points per game this season and Freeze would have brought his fast-paced, up-tempo offense to a Florida program that is striving for offense, especially from the quarterback position.
In his three years as head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze holds a 24-14 overall record. The Rebels were ranked as high as third in the country this season and have wins against the number one and number four ranked teams in the country. The Rebels finished 9-3 overall on the season and 5-3 in conference play. The Rebels started 7-0, but ended the season 2-3, losing three straight conference games before defeating Mississippi State Saturday.
