Danny Hugh Freeze Jr. (born September 27, 1969) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Auburn University. A successful high school football coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, Freeze coached Michael Oher and Greg Hardy. He subsequently was the head football coach at Lambuth University from 2008 to 2009, Arkansas State University in 2011, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 2012 to 2016, and Liberty University from 2018 to 2022.
Under Freeze, the Ole Miss football program committed various recruiting and academic violations that figured in the NCAA's decision to expunge 27 of Freeze's wins and ban the team from post-season play for two years. After university officials attempted to paint Freeze's predecessor as the main culprit, they were sued for defamation and they subsequently issued a public apology. The team's star quarterback and other players told NCAA officials that Freeze lied to them about the charges while he recruited them.
Freeze resigned from Ole Miss after officials discovered that he had used a university cellphone to call escort services at least a dozen times over 33 months.
Early life
Freeze graduated Senatobia High School in 1988, and then attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he lettered two years in junior college baseball. He became an NJCAA Academic All-American for the Rangers in the spring of 1990.
Freeze then attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he tried out for the baseball team in the fall of 1990, hoping to make the roster for the spring of 1991. He was cut from the team. He graduated from Southern Miss in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a minor in coaching and sports administration.
Coaching career
Briarcrest Christian School
In 1992, Freeze joined the staff at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, as the football team's offensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Freeze also served as dean of students. In 1995, he was promoted to head coach. Freeze ran the no-huddle spread offense and led his team to the state championship twice, in 2002 and 2004, and the regional championship each year from 1995 to 1998 and in 2001 and 2002. He received Region 8-AA Coach of the Year honors five times and Associated Press Coach of the Year honors six times. In ten years at Briarcrest, Freeze was 94–30 as head coach (.785 winning percentage) and 126–37 overall. Freeze was depicted in the book and motion picture The Blind Side, about one of his former players, offensive tackle Michael Oher.
While at Briarcrest Christian School, Freeze also coached the girls basketball team from 1992 to 2004, and actually had more success in this role, with an overall record of 305–63 (.829 winning percentage), seven straight championship appearances, and four championships.
Following his dismissal from Ole Miss in 2017, some former students alleged that Freeze had engaged in inappropriate conduct with female students while at Briarcrest. Freeze has denied the allegations. Briarcrest officials said they were unaware of any sexual improprieties committed by Freeze during his tenure.
Ole Miss assistant coach
In 2005, the University of Mississippi hired Freeze as an assistant athletic director for football external affairs. The following season, he became the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, positions he held through 2007. After that season, he replaced head coach Ed Orgeron on an interim basis before the hiring of Houston Nutt. Freeze interviewed for the offensive coordinator position with Nutt, a position that eventually went to Kent Austin.
Lambuth
In January 2008, Lambuth University, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), named Freeze its head coach. In 2008, he led Lambuth to an 8–4 record and a first round loss in the NAIA playoffs, marking their first appearance in the playoffs since 2004 under then head coach Vic Wallace. He was considered for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's head coaching position following the 2008 season, but remained at Lambuth University for another season and compiled a 20–5 overall record, and defeating opponents 41–17 on average. In 2009, he led the Eagles to their best regular season record in school history with an unblemished 11–0 mark. Lambuth advanced to the second round of the NAIA playoffs for first time in 11 years—having won one game before suffering elimination to finish 12–1 as the sixth-ranked team in the NAIA.