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Although Auburn football is on its way to its fourth straight losing season and head coach Hugh Freeze is at serious risk of losing his job, offensive coordinator Derrick Nix is emerging as a leading candidate for the Southern Miss head coaching job, per John Brice of Football Scoop.
“The Golden Eagles parted weeks ago with Will Hall and have moved deep into their search process. Once considered arguably among the top non-power conference football jobs, Southern Miss has slipped throughout the past decade-plus. Facilities and funding are key issues for the school, and it’s a job made tougher by Lane Kiffin’s ability to steer flagship school Ole Miss into the upper echelon of the national college football landscape.
“If the Golden Eagles can land him, Derrick Nix might be the top candidate, per sources. He's a former star running back at Southern Miss who spent more than 15 seasons in-state as an assistant at Ole Miss before garnering the offensive coordinator role this season at Auburn.”
Nix was on the Southern Miss coaching staff from 2003 to 2007 and coached at Ole Miss from 2008 to 2023.
Southern Miss football is 1-9 this year. Their only win came against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions, an FCS school out of the Southland Conference.
The Tigers rank 42nd in total offense, averaging 428.5 yards per game. Auburn football is 72nd in scoring offense, with 27.6 points per game.
Auburn football, Hugh Freeze sinking in reshaped SEC
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Hugh Freeze is 10-13 in his stint with the Tigers. After floundering as the Ole Miss head coach from 2012 to 2016, he found success at Liberty from 2019 to 2022. He directed them to a 34-15 record and three bowl wins in his four years leading the Flames.
A recent report from CBS Sports' Richard Johnson believes Freeze has little job security with Auburn football.
“It's hard to imagine the Hugh Freeze era in Auburn going worse than it has through nearly two seasons,” Johnson wrote. “Statistically Auburn actually isn't that bad but has a remarkable ability to blow games it shouldn't leading to a pitiful 3-6 record that will result in missing a bowl game.”
Freeze has been continually outclassed as a head coach and probably shouldn't have a job after his many scandals at Ole Miss. The NCAA released a statement summarizing his many problems there. Freeze was also discovered to have made many calls using the school-issued cell phone calling an escort service.
“The panel found the involved head coach [Freeze] failed to monitor the program, allowing his staff to knowingly commit a series of recruiting violations, submit false information on recruiting paperwork and not report known violations.”
Auburn is selling its soul for a mediocre, underachieving coach, and it isn't accomplishing anything. The Tigers need to move on.
