In six seasons running the Ole Miss football program, Hugh Freeze took the Rebels to unprecedented heights. But he also was enveloped in shrouds of controversy, culminating with his resignation Thursday night after revelations of phone records that included calls to a number associated with a female escort service.
Ole Miss is a program in limbo at the moment, between an ongoing NCAA investigation and its self-imposed postseason ban for 2017. But with its stature in one of the premier conferences in college football -- and its proximity to some of the country's most fertile recruiting grounds -- this job should attract some star-caliber candidates. On Thursday night, ESPN's Anthony "Booger" McFarland opined that former LSU coach Les Miles, Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin and former Oregon and NFL coach Chip Kelly could be names to consider. ESPN's Paul Finebaum, however, says to pump the brakes on Kiffin.
In the meantime, longtime assistant Matt Luke is taking the reins as interim head coach. Will Hugh Freeze coach again? How many games will the Rebels win this season? And who will be the next Rebels coach?
The Rebels open the season on Sept. 2 against South Alabama, which memorably upset Ole Miss' chief rival, Mississippi State, to kick off the 2016 campaign.
-- Brendan C. Hall