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| Provided by Ole Miss Athletics. |
With the dual announcement yesterday of a $12.5 million facilities upgrade and the $500,000 raise for first-year head coach Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork did exactly what he should have done as the athletic director of a school that claims it wants to win SEC championships - he doubled down.
Bjork knows the SEC is a cut-throat league and if Ole Miss wants to succeed he has to do exactly what Freeze expects of his players - buy in. In this conference if you're not growing, you're dying. It's an arms race, Ole Miss has a lot of ground to make up, and Bjork gets it.
"We cannot simply maintain, or we will fall behind," Bjork said in a school media release.
Can I hear an "Amen"?
The expansion and upgrade to the indoor practice facility which includes a new head coach's office, a dining hall, a state-of-the-art team meeting room outfitted with the latest technology and a new front entry way designed for no other purpose than to "wow" visiting recruits as they pull into the parking lot with their parents are all critical to future success. Freeze has already proven that he is willing to go head-to-head with Nick Saban, Florida, Notre Dame and all other comers for the nation's top recruits. This upgrade will soften that edge Freeze must overcome going up against the best.
And don't fret about Freeze's raise. He earned it. Freeze isn't some shot-in-the-dark Sunbelt coach who Ole Miss hopes can win at the highest level anymore. Freeze proved this year that he has a plan, the ability to motivate young men and the ability to coach them to victory. He's already being recognized nationally for his recruiting ability. He is the most complete package Ole Miss has had in a head coach since Tommy Tuberville. The future looks bright. And soon others will notice. Very soon. At $2 million a year Freeze remains one of the lowest paid coaches in the SEC, not that you should feel sorry for him, but the salary is deserved. And if all goes according to Bjork's plan look for it to go even higher next year.
Because this is the SEC. If Ole Miss isn't growing it's dying, and if Ross Bjork gets his way Ole Miss is growing.