Not only did Liberty utilize the bye week for much needed rest and a self-scout, the coaching staff was able to use it to regroup on the recruiting front as well.

“We needed it recruiting wise to kind of regroup,” head coach Hugh Freeze said of the bye week. “Recruiting is going extremely well. Liberty is a place that sells itself once you get families on campus. Our staff has done a good job of selling our vision of what this place can become. It was good for us to get on the road, get updates on all our committed kids, and also see what else is out there that may fit our needs.”

The Flames have currently got 19 commitments as they continue to build the recruiting class towards the maximum of 25 commitments the NCAA allows per class. At the mid point of the season, Freeze has every coach and department, including academics, strength & conditioning, and recruiting, present their plan with the key performance indicators (KPIs) of their department and the plan of attack to continue to improve the program.

“What areas do you not like about your area, in recruiting or defense or offense or special teams,” Freeze explained. “What are the KPIs that will change that and what’s your plan to change it?”

Liberty has never had so many commitments at such an early point in the calendar, and there’s a chance the full class of 25 could be signed in the early December signing period.

“The recruiting calendar is something that I’m not a big fan of,” Freeze said. “I’m not a fan of all these visits during the season and the summer. We don’t have enough time with our kids on the team as it is. It seems everything is just expedited. I wish we could not offer any kids until after August of their senior year, and then any point you can offer them after that and they can sign right then. We could cut out all the who’s really committed, who’s really got an offer, but I doubt that will ever happen. It would cut out a lot of the drama that’s kind of played out in recruiting. If I’m a player, what staff is serious because, ‘Hey, I want to commit, send me the papers.’ I’ll send the papers if we’re really committed to him, and he will send them back if he’s really committed to us.”