Background and career
Danny Hugh Freeze Jr. (born September 27, 1969) is an American college football coach. He most recently served as the head coach for Auburn University. Freeze was a successful high school football coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he coached Michael Oher and Greg Hardy. He served as the head football coach at Lambuth University from 2008 to 2009, Arkansas State University in 2011, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 2012 to 2016, and Liberty University from 2018 to 2022. He served as Auburn's head coach from 2023 to 2025, when he was fired mid-season after compiling the worst three-year start for a head coach at the school in 70 years. Under Freeze, the Ole Miss football program committed various recruiting and academic violations that figured in the NCAA's decision to expunge 27 of Freeze's wins and ban the team from post-season play for two years. After university officials attempted to paint Freeze's predecessor Houston Nutt as the main culprit, they were sued for defamation and they subsequently issued a public apology. The team's star quarterback and other players told NCAA officials that Freeze lied to them about the charges while he recruited them. Freeze resigned from Ole Miss in 2017 after officials discovered that he had used a university cell phone to call escort services at least a dozen times over 33 months.
Freeze was born in Oxford, Mississippi, and grew up on a dairy farm in Independence, Mississippi. His father, Danny Freeze, is a longtime high school assistant coach. Freeze graduated from Senatobia High School in 1988, then attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he lettered two years in junior college baseball. He became an NJCAA Academic All-American for the Rangers in the spring of 1990. Freeze then attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he tried out for the baseball team in the fall of 1990, hoping to make the roster for the spring of 1991. He was cut from the team. He graduated from Southern Miss in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a minor in coaching and sports administration.
In 1992, Freeze joined the staff at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, as the football team's offensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Freeze also served as dean of students. In 1995, he was promoted to head coach. Freeze ran the no-huddle spread offense and led his team to the state championship in 2002 and 2004, and the regional championship each year from 1995 to 1998 and in 2001 and 2002. He received Region 8-AA Coach of the Year honors five times and Associated Press Coach of the Year honors six times. Freeze went 94–30 as head coach (.785 winning percentage) and 126–37 overall. Freeze was depicted in the book and motion picture The Blind Side, about one of his former players, offensive tackle Michael Oher. From 1992 to 2004, Freeze also coached the Briarcrest girls basketball team to an overall record of 305–63 (.829 winning percentage), seven straight championship appearances, and four championships. In 2017, after Freeze was dismissed from Ole Miss, some former students alleged that Freeze had engaged in inappropriate conduct with female students while at Briarcrest. Freeze denied the allegations. Briarcrest officials said they were unaware of any sexual improprieties committed by Freeze during his tenure.
In 2005, the University of Mississippi hired Freeze as an assistant athletic director for football external affairs. The following season, he became the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, positions he held through 2007. After that season, he replaced head coach Ed Orgeron on an interim basis before the hiring of Houston Nutt. Freeze interviewed for the offensive coordinator position with Nutt, a position that eventually went to Kent Austin.
In January 2008, Lambuth University, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), named Freeze its head coach. In 2008, he led Lambuth to an 8–4 record and a first round loss in the NAIA playoffs, marking their first appearance in the playoffs since 2004 under then head coach Vic Wallace. He was considered for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's head coaching position following the 2008 season, but remained at Lambuth University for another season and compiled a 20–5 overall record, and defeating opponents 41–17 on average. In 2009, he led the Eagles to their best regular season record in school history with an unblemished 11–0 mark. Lambuth advanced to the second round of the NAIA playoffs for first time in 11 years—having won one game before suffering elimination to finish 12–1 as the sixth-ranked team in the NAIA.
In 2010, he joined the staff of head coach Steve Roberts at Arkansas State as offensive coordinator, joining the program after spending less than two months, during the 2009–2010 offseason, as offensive coordinator at San Jose State University. The Red Wolves finished 2010 with a 4–8 record, but their offensive rankings jumped from 95th in total offense and 90th in scoring offense in the NCAA Division I FBS to 43rd and 46th, respectively. The Red Wolves' offense broke nine school records including total plays (856), first downs (262), pass attempts (438), pass completions (266), completion percentage (.607), passing yards (3,057), passing yards per game (254.8), and passing touchdowns (23). The Red Wolves' offense averaged 403.4 yards per game, eclipsing over 300 yards all 12 times it took the field for the first time in the history of the program. A-State posted at least 400 yards of total offense in seven games during the 2010 campaign, the most ever as an NCAA FBS member, all in his first year as offensive coordinator. After the season, Roberts was fired and Freeze was promoted to head coach. In 2011, his only season as head coach at Arkansas State, he led the Red Wolves to a 10–2 record and their first Sun Belt Conference title since 2005. The Red Wolves' offense averaged 447.8 ypg (28th nationally, 1st in Sun Belt Conference) including 293.6 ypg passing and 154.2 ypg rushing. Freeze left Arkansas State before Arkansas State's post-season appearance in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
