Hugh Freeze’s contract as Auburn’s head coach is for six years and is worth $6.5 million per year, according to contract details released by the school on Friday. Here’s what you should know:
What is Freeze’s salary in the SEC?
His annual salary of $6.5 million places him ninth among SEC public school coaches, ahead of South Carolina’s Shane Beamer ($6.2 million), Arkansas’ Sam Pittman ($6 million), and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz ($6 million). Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss and Josh Heupel of Tennessee both received raises to $9 million this season — Kiffin was a former favorite to take over at Auburn. Alabama’s Nick Saban ($11.7 million) and Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($11.2 million) are at the top of the list. – Vannini
Hugh Freeze’s Auburn contract has finally been released.
Six-year deal worth $6.5 million annually, plus a $225k retention bonus each Feb. 1.
Buyout for Freeze to leave for another job starts at $5 million.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) April 21, 2023
What else about Freeze’s contract stands out?
Think again if you thought Auburn had learned from its previous two coaching hires. After they were fired, both Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin were owed at least 70% of their remaining contracts, with no offset from another job, totaling around $37 million. If fired without cause, Freeze’s buyout would pay him 75% of the remaining contract, with no offset. The only difference is that Freeze’s buyout would be paid in equal monthly installments, whereas Malzahn and Harsin were owed half of their buyout within 30 days of their firing.
Freeze’s contract also includes lengthy and standard clauses about personal conduct, which are worded similarly to Harsin’s previous contract. – Vannini
Backstory
Freeze was hired by Auburn on November 28, 2022. Auburn was looking for a new coach after firing Harsin on Oct. 31 after a tumultuous 21-game tenure in which he went 9-12 overall.
Freeze, 53, comes to Auburn after four seasons as Liberty’s head coach. He was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016, and he was the head coach at Arkansas State in 2011.
The Flames qualified for their first bowl game in school history during Freeze’s first season at Liberty. Freeze played four seasons for the Flames, going 8-4 in 2022, including a big win over Arkansas. However, Liberty was blown out 49-14 at home by New Mexico State in the final game of the 2022 regular season.
Prior to joining Liberty, Freeze led Ole Miss into the top 10 and twice defeated Nick Saban’s Alabama team as head coach. He resigned from Ole Miss before the 2017 fall season due to personal misconduct issues related to an escort service, which were discovered during an NCAA investigation into the program. Liberty hired him in December 2018.
