“Hugh Freeze may have the best gig in the country right now” is how Peter Burns answered the question about Hugh Freeze’s potential to leave for Auburn on The Stingray Show on Tide 100.9 yesterday. 

Peter Burns is an ESPN SEC Network Studio Anchor and ESPN Radio Host. Why is Peter saying that such a huge deal? Why do we care so much what people think of Liberty? You are in the right spot for those answers. Lets get it. 

Why is this a huge deal? Liberty rarely, if ever, has gotten that kind of love from ESPN or a nationally known college football analyst. If you hear Finebaum or Matt Barrie, guys I love to follow and listen to, they always compliment Freeze not LU. I get it, Freeze is a major reason LU is in the position it is in, and without Freeze, this wild rise to the top G5 program in the country likely doesn’t happen as quickly as it has. 

Every compliment or mention of Liberty on a national scale has been similar to “look what Freeze has done at Liberty.” For Burns to recognize Liberty as a top job in the country let’s the college football world know, the Flames success is here to last. 

Three things LU has that makes it a top job in the country, first is financial commitment. This has been since our beginnings, even when we didn’t have much to invest, athletics was always a top priority. It doesn’t matter who the president is, who the AD is, who the HC is, how much money the online school is making, Liberty will always be committed financially to their sports programs. Burns mentions the use of the private jet, and the $40 million fully guaranteed, and I am sure there are many more benefits and financial compensations. It is in the school’s DNA. It is the vision we have heard so much about recently. 

The second thing that makes the head coaching job at Liberty such a good job are the facilities. This goes hand in hand with financial commitment, but it’s tangible and sustaining. Even if the HC isn’t making an average of 5 million a year, the buildings will be there. These are world class facilities. Everything from practice facilities, athletic academic buildings, nutrition and cafe areas, all the way up to the top of Candlers Mtn where Liberty built a house for the HC that overlooks the campus and is 3 minutes from the office. Putting money into salaries and recruiting budgets and gameday experience is one thing, but to build facilities and continually upgrade them puts Liberty at the tip top of the college athletics financial commitment level. Before you tell me how much Alabama or USC put into their athletics department, consider revenue generation vs investment percentages. 

The third and final thing that makes Liberty a top job in the country is the people. This is the most important. It means more on the Mountain. To be connected to a fan base and administration that is like minded and has a faith based bond in Christ is worth more than any money can buy. You feel a part of something bigger than yourself. You have a connection through faith that is unmatched and cannot be replicated. The HC can give spiritual lessons and insights to his players without fear of being canceled or mocked. Liberty fans are some of the most passionate and loyal fans we have ever encountered. We love our Flames, but we also care about those competing as people. It doesn’t matter how much you are winning or losing, Flames fans are very respectful in their criticisms for the most part. It is so refreshing and rare in today’s college football landscape, where a head coach is one misstep away from being a nasty meme forever. I get it, Coach Freeze is winning a ton, and we really haven’t been put to the trials of losing, but trust me, we have had some awful coaches in our history, and they were all treated with love and respect by the majority. “Training Champions for Christ” summarizes this so well. 

The second question we set out to answer is “Why do we care so much what people think of Liberty?” This is easy, because we have gotten dragged at every turn. We have some garbage in our past. Some of it has been forgiven, some of it is right in our face as of Tuesday night. Every LU alum reading this knows how it feels to tell someone where you went to school, and to catch some flack for it. So when someone at ESPN lays out such a flattering compliment, it feels extra nice.

I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that any PR is good PR anymore. I think we are beyond that. We are certainly over it, when it comes to water cooler talk at the office, and interactions we have around town when sporting our Flames gear. The way Hugh Freeze, Ritchie Mckay, and Ian McCaw have been ambassadors for this cause, has really been inspiring. Hugh has taught a lot of us fans how to interact with the haters. Ian has made Liberty a friend to much of the NCAA athletic community. Ritchie faces outside opinions of Liberty head on and tells the truth of the great things happening on the Mountain. Those three and many more coaches, players, fans, and alumni, and their years of dedication to presenting Liberty in a positive light to the national college athletics community is starting to be rewarded and noticed and it feels wonderful. 

Check out Steven Stingray Ray and the Stingray show for this Peter Burns interview and much more college football and SEC content. You can find all of that content on twitter @StevenRay30.