The Grove Report

Lane Kiffin Responds to Auburn 'Angel' Coach Hugh Freeze's Ole Miss Insult

New Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze is a snake-oil salesman, and Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin isn't letting him off the hook.

Matt Galatzan

The Auburn Tigers hired former Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze as the new leader and CEO of its football program this week in what is one of the more controversial coaching moves in recent memory.

Freeze, of course, left the Rebels in shame after nearly driving the program into the grave due to a variety of reasons, including his massively overinflated ego, oversights on the recruiting trail and personal contact with escort services on university-issued cell phones.

We hesitate to question anybody's "faith,'' but Freeze's behavior obviously does not coordinate well with what he wears on his sleeve.

Bold move, Tigers. 

Now, Freeze, despite all of the support and trust Ole Miss placed in him before (and in the midst of) his misdeeds, has decided to throw a jab in the Rebels' direction, insinuating that the Auburn 'culture' is far superior to the one in Oxford.

"No offense to another school or anything, but I feel like I've leapfrogged where I was at that time (Ole Miss) by being in this family and this culture here," Freeze said. "I see this as one of the top 10 football programs in the nation."

And newly-extended Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who just spurned that 'top 10 program' to stick with the Rebels, is not a fan of Freeze's take, responding to his new SEC colleague on Twitter as only he can.

"@OleMissFB I would tweet at you but I guess you aren’t allowed to respond by @AuburnFootball (angels) now," Kiffin tweeted.

Kiffin is also referencing a report that Freeze was forced to hand over control of his Twitter account at Auburn.

Freeze is taking over a program recently mired in its own controversy surrounding its former head coach, Bryan Harsin, whose program was accused of being 'toxic and dysfunctional.'

Freeze's issues were far more controversial than Harsin's, and he was once thought of as being the most radioactive head coaching candidate in the entire nation.

Still, Freeze deserves a second chance, right? So he says.

"I don't know anybody in this room that doesn't deserve a second chance," Freeze said. "And truthfully, if everyone's life was as documented as mine, I'm sure it would be uncomfortable."

That's a convenient way to deflect from a person's misdeeds.

Kiffin, who was once seen as the 'bad boy' contrarian of the SEC coaching fraternity, now looks like a choir boy compared to the one the Tigers have hired on The Plains. 

But, Freeze, who was as connected as connected gets to the Ole Miss fan base and program even before being hired as the head coach, thinks he's been misunderstood.

"Please give me a chance to earn your trust," Freeze said. "Give me some time to get to know us, get to know my family, get to know the truth to our story."

Those aware of the once-smoldering remains of the Ole Miss football program will pass, happy that Kiffin's restorative properties - not to mention his sharp Twitter tongue - are in Oxford for the long haul. 

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TheGroveReport.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels.

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