Report: Ole Miss AD confirms Florida had interest in hiring Freeze
In a report from the Orlando Sentinel early Thursday, Ole Miss Athletic Director Ross Bjork admitted Florida had considerable interest in hiring Hugh Freeze before pivoting to current head coach Jim McElwain.
"There was some reality in all of that," Bjork told the publication during the SEC spring meetings. Florida never made any official contact with Freeze, but Bjork acted quickly. Freeze agreed to a contact extension three days before McElwain was hired by Florida.
This public development could definitely add some juice to the contest on Saturday. Florida has to be happy with McElwain at this point early in his tenure. The Gators are currently undefeated, and are ranked for the first time since 2013.