The Advantage of Hugh Freeze

[TexasTiger 12,852]

I was not a big fan of his hire, and not a blind supporter of his coaching decisions, thus far. But he may be better suited for the current college football climate than many other coaches, including Nick Saban. While Saban thrived for years in the then CFB culture, he’s not well suited for the current one.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/nick-saban-calls-out-alabama-players/ar-BB1jri49?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=96b074cfb1c24f8a841255d645c0c213&ei=66

Nick hates the current culture. Freeze may not like it either, but I sense he has more patience for it and a willingness to adapt to it. He’s hungry to prove himself which helps in tolerating the more annoying aspects of the current climate. That said, I think the current system is unsustainable and will ultimately exhaust most coaches.

 

[aucanucktiger 1,793]

1 hour ago, TexasTiger said:

I was not a big fan of his hire, and not a blind supporter of his coaching decisions, thus far. But he may be better suited for the current college football climate than many other coaches, including Nick Saban. While Saban thrived for years in the then CFB culture, he’s not well suited for the current one.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/nick-saban-calls-out-alabama-players/ar-BB1jri49?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=96b074cfb1c24f8a841255d645c0c213&ei=66

Nick hates the current culture. Freeze may not like it either, but I sense he has more patience for it and a willingness to adapt to it. He’s hungry to prove himself which helps in tolerating the more annoying aspects of the current climate. That said, I think the current system is unsustainable and will ultimately exhaust most coaches.

 

Yes, CFB issues are still a fast moving target. If your coach is(not) suited for its current business model, wait a few months.

[RunInRed 16,407]

What translates in the win column we'll see but I 100% agree - in terms of "fit" - both for the times and Auburn, I'm not sure there was a better hire out there.

[au701948 998]

1 hour ago, RunInRed said:

What translates in the win column we'll see but I 100% agree - in terms of "fit" - both for the times and Auburn, I'm not sure there was a better hire out there.

I agree. Great fit for AU and the times.

[cbo 7,847]

I'm not following the logic of why Freeze is a fit for the times. He dislikes NIL and the transfer portal, just like every other coach. 

He wants to build through high school and build a "family" culture. He claims he got into coaching to transform young men. 

I guess there's no threat of him leaving for the NFL or retiring. Is that what we are talking about?

[RunInRed 16,407]

1 hour ago, cbo said:

I'm not following the logic of why Freeze is a fit for the times. He dislikes NIL and the transfer portal, just like every other coach. 

He wants to build through high school and build a "family" culture. He claims he got into coaching to transform young men. 

I guess there's no threat of him leaving for the NFL or retiring. Is that what we are talking about?

He may not like the whole NIL deal but he plays the game well - from donor schmoozing/fundraising, to being able to win the living room — all while juggling the factors of the new world. It sounds easy but it’s not — and to do it all while ‘fitting into our ‘family’ and blue collar culture is something I feel he’s done pretty well so far.

[Randman5000 4,228]

Just win. That's all I care about. And consistently

[cbo 7,847]

34 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

He may not like the whole NIL deal but he plays the game well - from donor schmoozing/fundraising, to being able to win the living room — all while juggling the factors of the new world. It sounds easy but it’s not — and to do it all while ‘fitting into our ‘family’ and blue collar culture is something I feel he’s done pretty well so far.

No one thinks it's easy, but every decent SEC head coach has done these things for decades. Including Saban, who was established in the OP as the polar opposite of someone who fits in these times. 

"Fitting into our family" and "blue collar culture" are nebulous phrases that crumble as soon as the HC loses too many games. 

I'm still not hearing what makes Freeze uniquely qualified for the NIL/transfer portal era. 

[TexasTiger 12,852]

2 hours ago, cbo said:

I'm not following the logic of why Freeze is a fit for the times. He dislikes NIL and the transfer portal, just like every other coach. 

He wants to build through high school and build a "family" culture. He claims he got into coaching to transform young men. 

I guess there's no threat of him leaving for the NFL or retiring. Is that what we are talking about?

He doesn’t like it— who does? But he’s a relationship guy and he’s relentless in trying to get/retain talent. He’s hungry. And, yes— what are his options?

[cbo 7,847]

2 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

He doesn’t like it— who does? But he’s a relationship guy and he’s relentless in trying to get/retain talent. He’s hungry. And, yes— what are his options?

Exactly, he doesn't like it, just like all the other coaches. I don't blame him. So what makes him uniquely fit for these times?

Because he's a relationship guy? That sounds like the opposite of what works right now. 

Because he's a relentless recruiter? Maybe, but I bet there are other coaches who are also working hard at recruiting. Only difference we know is he was too busy recruiting to sufficiently coach. He shouldn't even think about saying that unless he was about to land the #1 recruiting class. Instead he ended up #6 in the SEC and #10 overall. Very good. But not as good as Gus' #6 overall in his first class. I only point this out because we all agree Gus was an inadequate recruiter. 

We do agree that his lack of options is a major benefit. Seriously. 

 

[TexasTiger 12,852]

32 minutes ago, cbo said:

Exactly, he doesn't like it, just like all the other coaches. I don't blame him. So what makes him uniquely fit for these times?

Because he's a relationship guy? That sounds like the opposite of what works right now. 

Because he's a relentless recruiter? Maybe, but I bet there are other coaches who are also working hard at recruiting. Only difference we know is he was too busy recruiting to sufficiently coach. He shouldn't even think about saying that unless he was about to land the #1 recruiting class. Instead he ended up #6 in the SEC and #10 overall. Very good. But not as good as Gus' #6 overall in his first class. I only point this out because we all agree Gus was an inadequate recruiter. 

We do agree that his lack of options is a major benefit. Seriously. 

 

I think relationships give a coaching staff an edge- even in these times. It won’t be enough to totally alter the dynamic, but given the crappy dynamic I much prefer a coach players relate to and seem to like playing for.

These days require recruiting the players you already have. Some coaches are gonna respond to that better than others. I sense Freeze will have more patience with it than many coaches. Certainly more than guys like Saban.

[cbo 7,847]

6 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

I think relationships give a coaching staff an edge- even in these times. It won’t be enough to totally alter the dynamic, but given the crappy dynamic I much prefer a coach players relate to and seem to like playing for.

These days require recruiting the players you already have. Some coaches are gonna respond to that better than others. I sense Freeze will have more patience with it than many coaches.

I agree relationships still matter. I want a coach that builds relationships with his players, for many reasons. 

But relationships clearly matter less than before. 

So this still doesn't answer my only question from the beginning: What makes Freeze equipped for this era vs. any other coach?

 

 

[TexasTiger 12,852]

15 minutes ago, cbo said:

I agree relationships still matter. I want a coach that builds relationships with his players, for many reasons. 

But relationships clearly matter less than before. 

So this still doesn't answer my only question from the beginning: What makes Freeze equipped for this era vs. any other coach?

 

 

First of all, I didn’t say “any other coach.” Beyond that, I’ve explained it. I won’t be persuading you and have no real interest in doing so. Good night.

[cbo 7,847]

7 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

First of all, I didn’t say “any other coach.” Beyond that, I’ve explained it. I won’t be persuading you and have no real interest in doing so. Good night.

No, you didn't say "any other coach." I said that as a way of making it easier for you, as in "tell me how Freeze is better equipped for this era than any other coach."

You never once explained that or answered my one very simple question. Except maybe the part that you feel like he has more patience. So that's fine. 

Sorry I lost your interest but I agree we should wrap it up. Good night!

[aucom96 1,618]

Freeze is a good recruiter. NIL is about money, period. To date, Freeze's NIL record is not what I'd consider stellar. 

However, someone at Auburn understands we need a staff of professional scouts and evaluators off the field for this purpose, so that's a positive. Freeze has often said he wants to build through high school, but this is now a year to year game. Saban didn't have anything left to prove and NIL sucks, so he got out. Freeze still has a lot to prove. Hopefully, he does. 

[DAG 33,982]

Freeze is a boss in terms of making relationship and bringing guys along. He has already stated that the NIL/transfer portal is a situation that he is not completely comfortable with hence why he hired a couple of guys to come in as support. So no, I would not say he is better suited for this current climate of football as he has not yet proven as such. 

[TitanTiger 20,481]

21 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

I was not a big fan of his hire, and not a blind supporter of his coaching decisions, thus far. But he may be better suited for the current college football climate than many other coaches, including Nick Saban. While Saban thrived for years in the then CFB culture, he’s not well suited for the current one.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/nick-saban-calls-out-alabama-players/ar-BB1jri49?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=96b074cfb1c24f8a841255d645c0c213&ei=66

Nick hates the current culture. Freeze may not like it either, but I sense he has more patience for it and a willingness to adapt to it. He’s hungry to prove himself which helps in tolerating the more annoying aspects of the current climate. That said, I think the current system is unsustainable and will ultimately exhaust most coaches.

I'm not sure how much further you could have gone to qualify your statements.

[RunInRed 16,407]

8 hours ago, cbo said:

No one thinks it's easy, but every decent SEC head coach has done these things for decades. Including Saban, who was established in the OP as the polar opposite of someone who fits in these times. 

"Fitting into our family" and "blue collar culture" are nebulous phrases that crumble as soon as the HC loses too many games. 

I'm still not hearing what makes Freeze uniquely qualified for the NIL/transfer portal era. 

Did you see our recruiting class last year?  Where we're positioned this year?  Us going head to head with Bama on many recruits we didn't even flirt with in prior years? Did you know how much the game has changed on the HS front, with the local gyms/trainers, etc?  Trust me, if you're close to this at all, it's night and day - and not just in comparison to Harsin, even compared to Malzahn, etc.

Saban saw the NIL deal come to a head and walked.  Sweeney has completely tanked Clemson in his opposition to it.  Freeze has embraced it, and is winning with it.  Not saying he's the only one (Day is doing well at Ohio State, Lane has a portal strategy that seems to be transactionaly working, Kirby is still rolling with Bulldog 13.  But Freeze has us in contention.  We have the talent / are getting the talent to win in this day and age.  That's what makes him an "Advantage" (he's not the only one).  He gets it, plays the game and appears to be doing well with it ... and all while keeping everyone in our "family" aligned.  Yes, the wins must come ... but so far, so good.

[RunInRed 16,407]

2 hours ago, aucom96 said:

Freeze's NIL record is not what I'd consider stellar. 

Expand ...

[aucom96 1,618]

Just now, RunInRed said:

Expand ...

I said NIL, but was primarily referring to the portal. QB and receivers last season alone and lackluster movement towards addressing those needs going forward to date are enough to concern me, but we have a lot of holes to fill and Freeze seems content to rely on high school recruiting. It's a big gamble and could be an expensive one. 

[RunInRed 16,407]

1 hour ago, aucom96 said:

I said NIL, but was primarily referring to the portal. QB and receivers last season alone and lackluster movement towards addressing those needs going forward to date are enough to concern me, but we have a lot of holes to fill and Freeze seems content to rely on high school recruiting. It's a big gamble and could be an expensive one. 

The QB one was complicated ... I agree, he's playing high stakes poker.  But think about it this way, if we had taken a portal QB, we likely lose Thorne and maybe HG (who we might lose anyways).  The biggest names out there would have cost a fortune - think $1M+, compared to the 150K or whatever Thorne is getting.  I said high stakes b/c if you bet on a portal QB who can come in, learn the offense and win right away, you better be right.  So the question is, what portal QB that was actually available would you have taken?

As for WRs, I don't think anyone would say that need hasn't been addressed with the HS class we've brought in.  Those freshmen will start.

[DAG 33,982]

Highschool vs NIL/Transfer. It all goes together. I don’t think anyone here has denied he does an outstanding job at the highschool level. Remains to be seen if he can be efficient in terms of transfer portal, keeping his recruits , bringing in effective transfers (effective is key). 

[CoffeeTiger 5,108]

13 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

The QB one was complicated ... I agree, he's playing high stakes poker.  But think about it this way, if we had taken a portal QB, we likely lose Thorne and maybe HG (who we might lose anyways).  The biggest names out there would have cost a fortune - think $1M+, compared to the 150K or whatever Thorne is getting.  I said high stakes b/c if you bet on a portal QB who can come in, learn the offense and win right away, you better be right.  So the question is, what portal QB that was actually available would you have taken?

As for WRs, I don't think anyone would say that need hasn't been addressed with the HS class we've brought in.  Those freshman will start.

It may very well be that there wasn't a portal QB worth taking (or at least among the ones who would have considered Auburn), but I don't know if the QB position is the place I want our team to be taking from the NIL discount rack. lol 

 

Perhaps spending that money to get better support players around Thorne will be the winning play with our current team though. We'll see I guess. 

[TitanTiger 20,481]

My feeling on the portal QB thing is that Auburn wasn't in position to spend big (or overspend) on one guy and that player be the difference maker, even if the one guy was a QB.  We weren't/aren't a QB away from competing for titles.  This was a roster with several holes in it that needed an influx of talent and other positions that desperately needed depth.  So the money had to be used wisely to build the roster more broadly and I support that approach.  

I guess if we had unlimited funds for NIL it would be different.  But my impression of OTV is that it's healthy and makes us competitive within the SEC and nationally, but not so overflowing with surplus that we can just drop bags for everyone we could want or need.  We have to make strategic choices.  Maybe once the roster is more stocked, we can focus on a smaller handful of portal guys to spend big on at a position of need.  But we aren't there yet, or at least weren't there as of the 2024 signing class.

[Randman5000 4,228]

3 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

My feeling on the portal QB thing is that Auburn wasn't in position to spend big (or overspend) on one guy and that player be the difference maker, even if the one guy was a QB.  We weren't/aren't a QB away from competing for titles.  This was a roster with several holes in it that needed an influx of talent and other positions that desperately needed depth.  So the money had to be used wisely to build the roster more broadly and I support that approach.  

I guess if we had unlimited funds for NIL it would be different.  But my impression of OTV is that it's healthy and makes us competitive within the SEC and nationally, but not so overflowing with surplus that we can just drop bags for everyone we could want or need.  We have to make strategic choices.  Maybe once the roster is more stocked, we can focus on a smaller handful of portal guys to spend big on at a position of need.  But we aren't there yet, or at least weren't there as of the 2024 signing class.

What did the kid from Duke want? He seems like a sure bet and would be perfect for Freeze