Former Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze is rooting for the Rebels in the Fiesta Bowl against Miami.
He also was apologetic for his Ole Miss tenure that ended in his resignation before the 2017 season.
The No. 6 Rebels (13-1) face the No. 10 Hurricanes (12-2) in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Jan. 8 (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Freeze was the Ole Miss coach starting in 2012 but resigned in July 2017 after numerous NCAA violations, including records showing cellphone calls to a female escort service.
"I love Ole Miss and I love the people there," Freeze said in an interview with "Talk of Champions Ole Miss" on Jan. 8. "They're my people. I understand the ending was awful and I've obviously said I'm sorry a thousand times for my part in all of that. But that doesn't change the fact the people who really know me and know my family, we still are very, very close so I still have an affinity that's very, very strong for that place."
Freeze, 56, was born in Oxford and attended Northwest Mississippi Community College and Southern Miss.
He was hired as Liberty coach in 2019. Then he was hired by Auburn in 2023, but fired midway through this season.
Freeze is not currently coaching.
Freeze's score prediction was Ole Miss beating Miami 27-17. That would put the Rebels in the national championship game against either Indiana or Oregon on Jan. 19 (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Freeze was 39-25 as the Ole Miss coach and brought the Rebels to a Peach Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
The transfer portal opened Jan. 2, and Ole Miss has reportedly been tied to Auburn quarterback Deuce Knight.
Knight was a five-star recruit in the 2025 class from Lucedale.
Knight was one of three Auburn quarterbacks who played this season, going 17-for-28 passing for 259 yards and two touchdowns with 178 rushing yards, on 13 carries and four touchdowns.
"I have no idea what Deuce is going to do exactly but I know this. To me, he was the future here (Auburn) and he is an elite talent," Freeze said. "He's got an arm strength that's unlike many and obviously the mobility to go with it."
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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