Lane Kiffin and Hugh Freeze, a Contrast in Quarterback Coaching Styles

This week highlighted the stark difference in Auburn's Hugh Freeze and Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss and how they handle struggling quarterbacks.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin shake hands after they met in 2023. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lane Kiffin never met a microphone or camera that he didn't like. Regardless of topic, the Ole Miss head coach shows no hesitation with speaking his mind. Kiffin may not have been speaking directly to former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze, but he might as well have been.

Instead of openly chiding Freeze's decision to switch quarterbacks in and out, Kiffin offered a decent sound-byte of advice, going as far to cite and example of how his approach worked. 

The Issue

Freeze pulled Hank Brown after an atrocious start on Saturday. While within his right to do as coach, a couple of weeks ago, Freeze yanked Payton Thorne. Kiffin, whose media savvy rates higher than many coaches decided to interject to offer his spin.

No one does subtlety better. pic.twitter.com/Luz4o43ZAE

— Michael Borkey (@MichaelBorkey) September 23, 2024

"On the field, there's a trust level there," Kiffin said. "I think it pays off when you have relationships and the quarterbacks trust you too. You go back to Matt Corral when he threw six interceptions, sitting down with him telling him we've got to do a better job calling plays. 'I've got to coach better, and don't worry. We've got your back.' I think that goes a long way and goes a long way with kids in recruiting, knowing what they're going to get when they get here and that they can trust us to have their back."

Contrast Kiffin's comments with Freeze's after Auburn's four-interceptions game against Arkansas.

“I don’t have the words, it’s just sickening,” Freeze said. “It’s just sickening that we can’t take care of the football on offense. I’ve got to get that fixed. It's miserable to watch that.”

It wasn't an accident that Kiffin mentioned recruiting in his press conference. Auburn and Ole Miss will butt heads on the recruiting trail more than once.

Crucial Point

The flip-flopping of quarterbacks means different things to different people. To Freeze, he sees the change as an opportunity to alter the team's immediate fortune. To Payton Thorne, he takes the field in his senior season to get the team out of the hole that his play versus Cal placed him in. 

The person that suffers most is Hank Brown. Granted, Brown played an atrocious first half, without a doubt. However, to Kiffin's point, one of a coach's main job is to inspire and motivate his players by showing trust through tough times. Anyone can play well when things go right, but how does a coach handle the rough spots?

“I like the challenge of getting players to rise to certain levels, but that’s the easy part. The biggest challenge is to get them to believe in what we’re doing. They have to understand that it’s O.K. to have good days and bad days,” Dawn Staley, South Carolina's multi-NCAA Tournament Champions women's coach once said.

Bottom Line

Hugh Freeze needs to heed Lane Kiffin’s words. They come from a place of a colleague, not  a future opponent looking to stir the pot. Who would think that Lane Kiffin would extend such well-articulated advice?

Yet, it happened. Hugh Freeze needs to collect himself and truly ponder the ramifications of rotating quarterbacks after throwing them under the bus.