Kellenberger: Ole Miss, Freeze continue on same defensive path
HOOVER, Ala. — Hugh Freeze was nothing if not prepared upon his arrival at SEC Media Days.
He quoted two different Bible verses, used a metaphor multiple times about baking a cake and tended to repeat the same lines that suggested a strong belief in the program’s innocence in light of the NCAA investigation. He avoided the big mistake or flubbed line that would prove to be damaging.
Ole Miss remains in strident defense of its head coach during this four year investigation, the same strategy that led to its misguided claim earlier this year that much of the 13 football violations in the Notice of Allegations pre-dated Freeze when, in fact, only four did.
That continued Thursday every time Freeze defended himself while also admitting Ole Miss has been guilty of violations.
“I have zero interest, zero interest, in cutting corners to be successful,” Freeze said.
Later on it was, “If you look at the issues that we're dealing with, the percentage of our team and the percentage of our staff that is involved in those issues is so small.”
It hinted at that classic NCAA defense of claiming the rogue booster or assistant coach acted all on his own, and the head coach was none the wiser.
“Can a head coach in this climate and in this day and time be totally in control of everything that happens in and out of his building?,” Freeze said. “You sure got to try to be. And is that possible? I don’t know.”
The Notice of Allegations places blame on unnamed boosters as well as defensive line coach Chris Kiffin, tight ends coach Maurice Harris and running backs coach Derrick Nix, and Laremy Tunsil’s now infamous text messages put staffers John Miller and Barney Farrar into the spotlight as well. That said, while the boosters have been disassociated the coaching staff remains intact, a sign of Freeze’s loyalty.
“Not yet,” Freeze said when I asked if Miller and Farrar’s responsibilities have changed since April 28. “Because they haven’t given me any reason to do that.”
Kellenberger: After Tunsil's admission, what now?
Kellenberger: It's not over yet for Ole Miss
The reality is that the actions of the few can ultimately affect Freeze, because that’s how the NCAA process works now. Program insiders insist Freeze is vigilant about maintaining an atmosphere of compliance, but is that enough? And if so, then how did these violations still occur?
“I'm confident that I have done that,” Freeze said. “But ultimately that's not my say.”
Freeze was defensive Thursday, which he had every right to be, and at times he appeared to be on edge. That includes an appearance on the SEC Network during which he got into it with Paul Finebaum in one of those, “I don’t care what anyone else is saying about me but clearly know everything that has been said and want to know who said it”-conversations.
Freeze has always been a guy who knew everything that was being said and written about his program, and so I’m not buying that he’s figured out how to totally tune all of it out all of a sudden.
I suspect that it’s another example of Ole Miss trying to thread the needle here. It cares about what is being said, but only so much. It’s guilty of some things, but not everything. It’ll go in front of the Committee on Infractions one day and face its punishment, but that day is not today and until then, they’ll try to focus on the season ahead.
Contact Hugh Kellenberger at 601-961-7190 or hkellenber@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @HKellenbergerCL on Twitter.