Newly appointed Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze made his first major appearance at SEC Media Days for the first time since 2016, after his Ole Miss career ended in disaster.

He opened his presser with a quip about his return to the conference, before it was ended in a scandal and resignation before the 2017 season.

“It's good to be back,” Freeze told the media, per Kyle Tucker of the Athletic.

Freeze was ousted as Ole Miss head coach in July of 2017, after over a year of NCAA violations and sanctions. A lawsuit coming from a previous coach of the team that Freeze's staff blamed for the improprieties uncorked a further scandal involving Freeze's usage of a cell phone escort service that ultimately led to his downfall.

In his last appearance, he made a tweet that dared anyone to report alleged violations to compliance. When he was asked about that moment in 2016, he regretted the online outburst.

“Sometimes you make decisions that probably aren't the sharpest,” Freeze said.
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Despite all of the controversies, Freeze did have the magic touch on the field when it came to one of the most important aspects of the SEC, beating Nick Saban. His Ole Miss team dethroned Alabama in back-to-back seasons, after decades of mediocrity. At the time, he was one of three SEC coaches to take down Saban two years in a row, a nearly impossible feat against the juggernaut.
Freeze will look to revive his past success in the conference, having to play in the stacked SEC West once again. Each year will culminate in the Iron Bowl battle against Saban's Tide, and he will have to be competitive in the rivalry if he wants to stay employed.