JONESBORO (2/26/10) - Arkansas State head football coach Steve Roberts announced Friday that Hugh Freeze, who compiled a 20-5 record the last two seasons at the helm of the Lambuth University football program, has been named the Red Wolves new offensive coordinator and football coach.
Freeze was named San Jose State's offensive coordinator on January 5 of this year, but spent less than two months with the Spartans' program before coming to Arkansas State.
Freeze was named the American Football Coaches Association's Southeast Region Coach of the Year and in 2009 after leading the Eagles to their best regular season in school history with an 11-0 record. Under Freeze's direction, Lambuth won the Mid-South Conference West Division, advanced to the second round of the NAIA playoffs for the first time since 1999, finished the year with a 12-1 mark and ascended to the No. 6 ranking in NAIA.
The Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year oversaw the offense and called the plays for a Lambuth team that averaged over 40 points per game and ranked ninth nationally in total yards per game (465 ypg). The Eagles also ranked first in the nation in fourth down conversions, fourth in first downs per game and third down conversions, fifth in passing offense and eighth in scoring offense per game.
"We are very excited about adding coach Freeze to our staff," said Roberts. "He is a great person, an outstanding recruiter and has experienced success everywhere he has been. Offensively, his system has been extremely successful, and his plan has been to utilize tempo and a wide open approach incorporating the spread offense."
"The opportunity to come back near home to be a coordinator for a great man and coach like Steve Roberts, in a wonderful place like Jonesboro and at an outstanding university like Arkansas State, was an excellent opportunity for me and my family that I could not pass up," said Freeze.
Prior to taking over as head coach at Lambuth, Freeze served as interim head coach at the University of Mississippi in November of 2007 and was an assistant coach with the Rebels from 2005-07. He was named the Rebels' recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach before the 2006 season after originally serving as Assistant Athletic Director for Football External Affairs upon his arrival in Oxford.
In his first year as recruiting coordinator, he helped bring in the nation's 13th ranked recruiting class, the highest in the history of the program. Freeze was responsible for the recruitment of nine signees, including two that went on to be named Freshman All-America, in the class alone.
While maintaining his duties as recruiting coordinator, he moved to wide receivers coach in 2007 and tutored two players that were ranked among the top-15 players in receiving in the SEC. Ole Miss' 2007 signing class was ranked 25th nationally and he was responsible for nine commitments in the 2008 signing class.
Before going to Ole Miss, Freeze served 13 years at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tenn., as a classroom teacher, coach and administrator. He was the Saints head football coach from 1995 to 2004, running the no huddle "spread system" for six years that led to six straight state championship games.
Freeze compiled a 99-23 record, which included an undefeated season in 1996, while at Briarcrest and led the school to state championship titles in 2002 and 2004. Briarcrest won regional championships in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2002, and Freeze was named the Region 8-AA Coach of the Year five times and Associated Press Coach of the Year four times.
Before assuming the role of head coach at Briarcrest, Freeze served as the Saints offensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 1992-1994 as the Saints reached the TSSAA state semifinals twice.
A 1988 graduate of Senatobia (Miss.) High School, Freeze earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in coaching and sports administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1992.
Hugh and his wife, Jill, are the parents of three daughters, Ragan, Jordan, and Madison.
