It’s been quite the redemption for Hugh Freeze.
After resigning in disgrace as the head coach at Ole Miss in the summer of 2017, Freeze, even as he had drawn interest from Alabama’s Nick Saban that was nixed by the SEC, spent the next two seasons on the outside of the college football coaching window looking in. In December of 2018, however, Freeze was hired as the head football coach at Liberty, which had just completed its first season at the FBS level with a 6-6 record.
This season, Freeze guided the Flames to a 7-5 record and the football program’s first-ever bowl berth, a Cure Bowl appearance against Georgia Southern Dec. 21.
Two days after that bowl announcement, the football program confirmed that they had reached an agreement on a multi-year extension with Freeze. While the financial particulars were not detailed by the football independent, it’s believed Freeze will be paid on par with those head coaches in the Group of Five.
HERE TO STAY 🔥 @CoachHughFreeze and Liberty have agreed to a multi-year contract extension. #TougherTogether pic.twitter.com/SFb3wgmVvB
— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) December 10, 2019
With Charlie Strong‘s ouster at South Florida, Houston’s Dana Holgorsen ($3.7 million) is the highest-paid G5 coach. Three other coaches at that level make north of $2 million annually -- Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo ($2.32 million), Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell ($2.3 million) and UCF’s Josh Heupel $2.3 million). Mike Norvell had made $2.66 million in 2019, but he left Memphis for Florida State this past weekend.