Memo: SEC didn’t block Freeze hire in 2018
In 2018 when several SEC schools were interested in hiring Hugh Freeze, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent out a memorandum to conference presidents, chancellors and athletic directors to inform them of Freeze’s “status with respect to the conference.”
Freeze was hired Tuesday as Auburn‘s head football coach.
While Sankey’s 2018 memo, which was obtained by ESPN, did not prohibit schools from hiring Freeze, it was a stern reminder of the conditions and restrictions related to Freeze if an SEC school had chosen to hire him at that point. Per NCAA penalties, Freeze would have faced a suspension for the first two conference games of the 2018 season, but only as a head coach and not as an assistant coach.
Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee were among schools interested in hiring Freeze in an assistant coaching and/or coordinator role following his ouster at Ole Miss.
Freeze was out of coaching for the 2017 and 2018 seasons after running afoul of NCAA rules while the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016. He was the Liberty head coach for the previous four seasons before getting a second chance in the SEC at Auburn.
After rebuilding Ole Miss’ program to a Top-25 level, Freeze resigned in the weeks leading up to preseason practice in 2017. University officials discovered he made a series of calls on his university-issued cell phone to multiple numbers associated with a female escort service. Ole Miss was being investigated by the NCAA at the time. Ross Bjork, then the Ole Miss athletic director, said the two matters were separate, but said he would have fired Freeze for a “pattern of misconduct” had Freeze not resigned.
Later in 2017, Ole Miss was placed on NCAA probation for violations that occurred in part under Freeze, and the sanctions included a two-year bowl ban. Freeze was charged individually by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions of a Level 1 violation and found guilty of failing to adequately monitor his football staff and its interaction with boosters.
“We had a number of institutions in 2018 with interest in considering Hugh which were inquiring about what had transpired at his previous institution [Ole Miss] and if there was any applicable conference accountability,” Sankey told ESPN on Friday. “The purpose of the letter was to put all of our institutions on the same page with consistent information.”
Sources told ESPN that Sankey never told anyone during that time that he was blocking SEC schools from hiring Freeze. However, Sankey did tell Freeze that it was his strong preference that Freeze leave the SEC and go coach elsewhere without anymore NCAA issues — especially with Ole Miss still on probation — and then come back to the SEC if he had opportunities.
Sankey said he and Freeze spoke on the phone earlier this week and that Sankey congratulated Freeze on his hiring at Auburn.
“I look from this point forward. We’re informed by people’s past,” said Sankey, adding that he and Freeze have had multiple phone conversations over the past five years. “I appreciated the way he responded during his press conference, and I respect the fact that he and I, over the succeeding years since his departure from Ole Miss, could have candid and honest conversation.”
Freeze said several times during his press conference Tuesday that he was thankful for second chances and added, “I’m not sure that’s accurate,” when asked about reports that Sankey had previously blocked him from being hired within the league.
“He’s never done anything but shoot me dead straight and tell me what he thought was best, not only for the conference, but for me,” Freeze said of Sankey. “I appreciate a man that treats you like that.”
In his Nov. 12, 2018 memo, Sankey noted that SEC schools make independent decisions on who they want to hire, but those decisions must meet the expectations of SEC Bylaw 19.8.1.2, which requires institutions to contact the NCAA and SEC offices regarding a potential hire’s compliance background prior to offering employment.
In addition, Sankey wrote in his memo that the Committee on Infractions described Ole Miss’ violations “as cutting against and undermining core principles of the collegiate model.” Sankey added that Freeze was “directly involved in some of the less serious violations.”
Under the authority granted to him as commissioner, Sankey outlined in 2018 some of the conditions and restrictions related to Freeze should he be hired by an SEC school.
Those conditions included:
• Because Freeze had been found guilty of committing a Level I violation, the president or chancellor would be expected to consult directly with Sankey prior to offering Freeze a job.
• Within 30 days of Freeze’s hiring, the school’s president, faculty athletics representative, athletic director, head coach and Freeze would have to meet with Sankey at the conference office in Birmingham. Prior to that meeting, the school would provide Sankey with a written plan explaining its complete compliance oversight of Freeze and that plan would have to be approved and signed by the school’s president or chancellor.
• Freeze would be required to attend an NCAA Regional Rules meeting in 2019 and 2020 and remain for at least two days.
• Freeze would be prohibited from off-campus recruiting activities until Aug. 1, 2019.
• Any future violation of NCAA rules or SEC bylaws involving Freeze would be subject to additional scrutiny.
On Nov. 27, 2020, Sankey sent out a revised version of Bylaw 19.8.1.2 to presidents, chancellors and athletic directors that did not mention Freeze by name, but it included stipulations about the hiring of any coaches in the SEC that had prior NCAA issues.
In that 2020 memo, Sankey pointed out that SEC institutions were required to “thoroughly evaluate every candidate’s rules compliance record prior to offering employment, including asking the candidate directly and communicating with the NCAA and SEC regarding the candidate’s compliance record.”
Also, Sankey said in that 2020 memo that a school’s president or chancellor was expected to contact him directly to discuss any coaching candidate being considered for employment that had “engaged in unethical conduct or participated in activity that resulted or may result in Level I, Level II or major infractions.”
Sankey added that over the past few years he had received several inquiries from SEC schools about the status of “several of these individuals [primarily assistant coaches] and expect these inquiries will continue.”
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Max Olson
Major changes are coming to the transfer portal in college football after the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee voted Thursday to move to a January transfer window and eliminate the spring window.
The proposed lone transfer window would be a 10-day period that opens Jan. 2, 2026, one day after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals are completed. The Division I Administrative Committee must approve the legislative changes before it can take effect. The vote is expected to occur before Oct. 1.
The committee is also proposing making the entire month of December a recruiting dead period. Coaches would still be able to have contact with recruits but would not be permitted to do on- or off-campus recruiting visits or evaluations.
FBS coaches voted unanimously to support the January portal proposal during their American Football Coaches Association convention earlier this year, saying it will give players and coaches more time to focus on finishing their season while preserving the opportunity for players to transfer to their new school for the spring semester.
In recent years, the portal has opened for underclassmen transfers in early December immediately following conference championship games and bowl selections. In 2024-25, the winter transfer window was Dec. 9-28, and the spring portal period was April 16-25.
The collision of transfer transactions, coaching changes, high school signing day and CFP and bowl games in December has been a major source of frustration for coaching staffs. Last season, Penn State and SMU lost backup quarterbacks to the portal while they were still competing in the playoff, and Marshall opted out of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl after determining it did not have enough players to compete due to departures brought on by a coaching change.
This season, the CFP semifinals will be held Jan. 9-10 while the national title game is set for Jan. 20.
The elimination of the spring window, if approved, will generally be welcomed by coaches but could come under scrutiny and perhaps legal challenges for restricting the transfer movement of athletes.
The NCAA’s FBS and FCS oversight committees recommended eliminating the spring window last August, citing the importance of roster stability for football programs, but did not move forward with pursuing that change while schools reckoned with the implications of the House settlement, revenue sharing and new roster limits in college athletics.
Last year, the NCAA had to abandon its one-time transfer rule amid legal challenges and pass emergency legislation to permit unlimited transfers for athletes who are academically eligible and meeting progress-to-degree requirements.
The spring portal window has traditionally been the final opportunity for players to make moves ahead of their upcoming season. Some coaches have taken advantage of it to cut players from their roster and sign additional transfers. Others view the spring portal period as giving players and their representatives too much leverage to seek more money from deals with schools that were previously signed in December and January.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava became the latest high-profile example in April when he opted to enter the portal and transfer to UCLA after a falling out with Tennessee’s coaching staff over NIL contract discussions.
In 2024-25, the NCAA’s Division I Council voted to reduce the total number of days players in FBS and FCS can be entered into the portal from 45 to 30. Dropping to 10 would represent another significant reduction that results in a frenzied period with thousands of players becoming available at the same time. Players can commit and transfer to their next school at any time after their names have been entered into the portal.
If the recommendation is approved, graduate transfers would also have to wait until Jan. 2 to enter their names in the transfer portal. Players who have earned their degree and are moving on as graduate transfers have traditionally been permitted to transfer before underclassmen players during the portal era. Last year, they were allowed to begin entering their names in the portal on Oct. 1.
The NCAA has also previously made exceptions on transfer window dates for players at schools going through coaching changes and for those on teams whose postseason ends after the portal window closes.
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Alaina Getzenberg
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen has accomplished plenty of firsts in his career.
He’ll corral another one in November as the University of Wyoming is set to retire Allen’s No. 17. The Buffalo Bills quarterback will be the first Cowboy to have their jersey retired.
A ceremony to retire Allen’s jersey will take place Nov. 22 during halftime of Wyoming’s game against Nevada. Allen will be in attendance for the game and ceremony with the Bills having the weekend off as they play on “Thursday Night Football” that week at the Houston Texans.
“What’s up, Cowboys fans. Josh Allen here,” Allen said in a video announcing the retirement. “I’m excited to announce that I will be returning to University of Wyoming Nov. 22 against University of Nevada. Excited to be back in Laramie. Go Pokes.”
17 coming home. pic.twitter.com/rA7YZv6kan
— Wyoming Cowboy Football (@wyo_football) September 4, 2025
The reigning NFL MVP will make his return to the school for the first time since he was chosen by the Bills seventh in 2018, Wyoming’s highest draft pick.
After starting his collegiate career as a no-star recruit and playing at Reedley College, a juco program in central California, Allen transferred to Wyoming, playing there from 2015 to 2017. After suffering a broken collarbone his first year in Laramie, he led the school to back-to-back eight-win seasons, finishing his career with 5,066 passing yards, 767 rushing yards and 57 total touchdowns. The two-time team captain was also named MVP of the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
“It is very exciting and a wonderful day for the State of Wyoming,” University of Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman said in a statement. “It is going to be a big day in the history of Wyoming Football. Josh is the most high-profile ambassador the University of Wyoming has ever had.”
The Bills kick off the season Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens (8:20 ET, NBC).
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Kalyn Kahler
North Carolina and first-year head coach Bill Belichick have banned the New England Patriots’ staff from accessing the Tar Heels’ program, sources told ESPN.
When reached by ESPN, North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi said, “Good luck” and then hung up the phone. UNC also declined comment.
Lombardi and Tar Heels pro liason Frantzy Jourdain informed the Patriots that they would be banned from UNC the day before one of their scouts was scheduled to visit in August, a source with direct knowledge told ESPN.
Two NFL scouts who work for other teams told ESPN that North Carolina, under Belichick’s leadership, offers limited access to all NFL personnel. Clubs are allowed to speak only with Jourdain, and UNC’s college relations website says that “scouts will have zero access to coaches or other personnel people,” according to the scouts.
The term “zero access” appears three times on UNC’s college relations website, a page accessible only to NFL personnel.
One scout said NFL personnel are only able to watch three periods of practice at UNC. Each college program varies in access to NFL personnel, but the scouts said that many programs allow scouts to watch full practices.
“Can’t think of another school with a statement of ‘zero access,'” one scout told ESPN.
3 & Out’s John Middlekauff first reported the news.
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