How does Coach Hugh Freeze compare with the other head coaches in the SEC East?

How does Coach Hugh Freeze stack up in the SEC East?

Author:
Joshua Collins
Publish date:
Aug 12, 2023 6:30 PM EDT

In this story:

With the beginning of the 2023 college football season nearly upon us many teams and fan bases across the country are taking stock of their programs performance during the spring and fall camps while also evaluating the new recruits on their rosters. Actively weighing out their opportunities and making lofty predictions about their teams’ chances along the way.

With a mostly brand-new coaching staff on the plains since the hiring of Coach Hugh Freeze in November of last year, many are asking how Coach Hugh Freeze compares to the other head coaches within the SEC. With this two-part article series, we will weigh Coach Freeze’s career winning ratio and the culture he brings with him to the Auburn family against that of the other head coaches in both the SEC West and the SEC East.

We will cap-off this series with the SEC East, taking a brief look at the cadre of head coaches who lead arguably some of the best teams in college football today, providing some of the stiffest coaching competition for Coach Hugh Freeze to stack up with.

Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze:

Hugh Freeze at Auburn football practice — Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

As a faithful and diehard Auburn fan I will have to lead off with Coach Hugh Freeze and what he brings to the table as the 31^st head coach of the Auburn Tigers football program. Coach Freeze comes to plains from Liberty University after a very impressive and successful 4 years as the head of their football program, where he led the Flames to four bowl game appearances and produced a 34-15 record at the helm. Coach Freeze brings with him 12-years’ worth of collegiate head coaching experience with an overall career win-loss record of 103-47 making for a 68-percent win ratio.

More importantly Coach Freeze brings with him a culture of hope, tenacity, and hard work to make the changes so desperately needed within the Auburn football program to turn the page to a brighter and more successful future for not only the athletes and the student body but also the loyal Auburn fanbase. In quoting Coach Freeze in a recent Auburn media release, his message to the players on the team highlights so much about his character as a head coach and a mentor to these young men asking of his players “Will there be a fire burning inside you that’s hotter than any furnace that is put before you.”

This sentiment speaks to the value Coach Freeze places on putting all your soul into this game we all know and love. This is the culture he brings to the plains, and I am excited to see it grow across the roster and across the fan base as his career begins on the plains.

Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart:

Nov 13, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart coaching during the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports — Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off back-to-back National Championship wins, Kirby Smart has proven his ability to coach at the highest level in college football. Looking to establish himself as one of the first coaches to three-peat a national championship Coach Smart should always be looked at as a threat on the gridiron. Boasting a career win-loss record of 81-15 making for an 84-percent win ratio, Coach Kirby is quickly establishing himself as one of the best coaches in the SEC. As an Auburn fan this is definitely a difficult pill to swallow, but I would be remiss to not mention it. Coach Smart values hardnosed play on the field and looks to power through his opponents. The Deep Souths oldest rivalry will always remain strong, especially while Coach Kirby Smart remains at the helm in Athens.

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel:

Coach Josh Heupel is entering the 2023 season having accomplished an almost legendary defeat of the Crimson Tide last season at home. One of the younger head coaches in the SEC, Coach Heupel has a career win-loss record of 46-19, making for a 70-percent win ratio. Coach Heupel has taken the Volunteers from a dumpster-fire program to a relevant team within the SEC in only two years’ time, which in and of itself is a feat worth mentioning. Known for his fast-paced offensive schemes, Coach Heupel will be one to watch as his career progresses.

Florida Head Coach Billy Napier:

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier thanks his team for a good scrimmage after Blue beat Orange 34-0 as the Florida Gators scrimmaged themselves during the annual Orange and Blue spring game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL, Thursday afternoon, April 14, 2022. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]2022 Oca Orangeandbluegame — © Doug Engle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Returning for his second season with the Florida Gators Coach Billy Napier is looking to produce a much better season than his last, managing only a 6-7 win-loss record. With this fire to remain out of the Gainesville hotseat you can guarantee he will be looking to make the best of the upcoming 2023 season. Despite his somewhat weak inaugural season, Coach Napier is no stranger to coaching winning football. Boasting a career win-loss record of 46-19 making for a 70-percent win ratio, Coach Napier is looking to return to his winning ways. Also known for fast paced offenses look for the Gators to reach to become a powerhouse team once more under Coach Napier’s leadership should the pieces fall together.

South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer:

Dec 30, 2021; Charlotte, NC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer late during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports — Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into his career third season as a head coach, Coach Shane Beamer is looking to looking to help the South Carolina Gamecocks relevant within the SEC again. Considering this is his first head coaching job, Coach Beamer has earned a career 15-11 win-loss record making for a 57-percent win ratio. Coach Beamer is known for being a special teams guru, and is also known for favoring smash-mouth defenses. Looking to continue with the momentum he has built at the program over the past two seasons, look for Coach Beamer to try to shake things up this upcoming season.

Missouri Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz:

Nov 13, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz watches the reply board against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports — Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Eli Drinkwitz has made impressive strides with Missouri in his tenure as head coach thus far. Known for fielding physical and fast teams year-over-year, Coach Drinkwitz has been known to ruin some rivals chances for perfect seasons producing several upsets. Coach Drinkwitz has a career win-loss record of 29-20 making for a 59-percent win ratio. The Missouri Tigers and Coach Drinkwitz are a team and a coach fans of SEC football know better than to sleep on as they are always an upset away. Look for him to continue his coaching stride heading in to the upcoming 2023 football season.

Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops:

\"I've said it for a long time now, this team, just take care of the business in front of us, they don't need to be anybody other than who they are,\" said Kentucky head football coach Mark Stoops afterwards as the Wildcats beat the Gators 20-13. Oct. 2, 2021 Kentucky Vs Florida October 2021 — © Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Coach Mark Stoops has become a staple of the Kentucky Wildcat fanbase with an almost cult like following. He has seen the Wildcats to some of their highest success since the days of Bear Bryant, and he is looking to maintain that momentum coming in to the 2023 football season. He is a crafty coach known for his incredible defensive prowess. Heading into his 10^th season as Kentucky’s head coach, Coach Stoops has career win-loss record of 66-59 making for a 53-percent win ratio. You can rest assured he will have his team prepared to play this coming 2023 football season.

Vanderbilt Head Coach Clark Lea:

Nov 27, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea coaches during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports — Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

Heading in to his third season as head coach as well is the Vanderbilt Head Coach Clark Lea. Manning the helm of one of the lowest ranked SEC team consistently year-over-year, is no easy feat to accomplish. Coach Lea is looking to change this narrative across the board. Despite only having a career win-loss record of 7-17 making for a meager 29-percent win ratio, Coach Lea is working hard to increase recruiting with Vandy. Coach Lea has a long and difficult road ahead to accomplish this task, however Coach Lea is a hardnosed coach prepared to put in the work required to do so.

In closing, it’s important to remember that although stat lines and win-loss ratios may pop out on paper, the most important qualities of these coaches are the values of hard work and perseverance each of these leaders of men work hard to instill in each of the young men that grace their locker rooms. Although each fan will argue that their head coach is the best fit for the job, it’s the players opinions of their leaders that really matters.