Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin expresses gratitude over Auburn's Hugh Freeze's inspiring words: "Thanks coach"

Auburn Tigers coach Hugh Freeze has been hitting the recruitment trail hard during the college football off-season. Yet, he is still finding time to indulge in one of his favorite pastimes, golf.

Freeze recently posted a picture of himself on Instagram with his wife Jill Freeze on the shores of a beach with a thoughtful message as the caption.

"Friday thought on pain. An oyster deals with the pain on a small pebble of sand for years. It takes a long time, sometimes years to finish the work. It toils tirelessly in the dark and in the depths to transform the environment inside itself with a lasting testimony," Freeze wrote.

"From one painful invader comes a precious, valuable, one-of-a-kind pearl. From the struggle to the treasure, the pearl becomes part of the oyster’s autobiography. For in your suffering and in your brokenness, you can gain a deeper understanding and empathy for others. Have a great weekend and stay in the battle. Your story will be amazing to tell."

Ole Miss Rebels' charismatic coach Lane Kiffin expressed his gratitude in the comments over Freeze's insightful message.

"Thanks coach," Kiffin wrote.

Freeze's IG comments

Hugh Freeze has a checkered past

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has had a career littered with controversy. But no period compares to his time as coach of the Ole Miss Rebels where he had a 39-25 record in five seasons.

All of that came crashing down in 2016 when the NCAA charged the Ole Miss Rebels with recruitment violations. The program planted false stories that the violations had happened during the tenure of Freeze's predecessor coach, Houston Nutt.

During the lawsuit filed by Nutt to clear his name, lawyers filed for a freedom-of-information request. It then led to the discovery of a dozen calls to a female escort agency made by the coach over 33 months while traveling in the program's private jet.

In 2017, he was forced to resign for violating a morality clause in his contract, bringing to a close what was a splash for the tabloids at the time.

While he was coach of the Liberty Flames, Freeze revealed to an audience at the university that his wife, Jill Freeze, and his family stood by him during that period.

“I’ve experienced such forgiveness from my family, my wife. She’s the real hero,” Freeze said. “My kids, my daughters, my pastor, my friends, my family. I’ve also seen the other side of it with people that are not quite as willing to forgive.”

Hugh Freeze has largely rehabilitated his image since then and even managed to snag the highly lucrative Auburn Tigers job.