After the complicated exit of Hugh Freeze from the football world, he is finally back. The former hero of Oxford and Ole Miss has accepted an offer as the offensive coordinator of the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football.
The AAF was formed on March 20, 2018, as a professional spring football league that intends to be “complementary” to the NFL rather than compete with the biggest giants in American sports. The league, which currently consists of 12 teams from around the country, is set to begin play in the spring of 2019.
The rosters in the AAF are composed former college football players who were either drafted late and then cut or were not drafted into the NFL. Most rosters also contain several players who played in the NFL as journeymen or backups for multiple years before being released or not being resigned. One of the biggest names in the league is former Alabama star running back Trent Richardson, who will begin play in the spring with the Birmingham Iron.
Former Head Coach Hugh Freeze surveys the field during the LSU game in 2017. File photo by Taylar Teel
Freeze will join a somewhat heavyweight coaching staff with the Hotshots. The team’s general manager is Phil Savage, who has coached at Alabama and UCLA as well as serving as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008. Freeze’s head coach will be Rick Neuheisel, who has served as head coach for Colorado, Washington, and UCLA as well as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
Freeze’s offensive roster with the Hotshots contains very few recognizable names. Among his entire offense, there are only two players who were able to stay on an NFL roster past the preseason. Only wide receiver John Crockett III actually saw regular season snaps in the NFL.
Freeze does have a bit of a history of taking weak teams to great heights, but his recruiting will have to reach a new level to convince quality players to sign with a team in this brand new league.
Regardless of the prowess of his offense, this second chance for Freeze is a long time coming. There were rumors before the 2018 college football season of other SEC teams looking into Freeze’s services, but nothing came to fruition.
With long-term television coverage of these AAF games unclear, it is unlikely that Freeze, or anyone else involved in this project, will get very much exposure. Whether or not he can make some sort of glorious championship campaign or major recruiting win for his Hotshots remains to be seen.
