Reports started to generate Thursday evening that Mississippi State was likely to move on from head coach Joe Moorhead, and on Friday morning all major outlets are now reporting his firing.

One name that is sure to gain plenty of traction as a possible replacement is Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze. Freeze was born and raised in Mississippi where he attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He made a name for himself as head coach at Ole Miss from 2012-16 where he led the Rebels to bowl games in each of his first four seasons including trips to the Peach and Sugar Bowls.

In July 2017, Freeze resigned from his position as head coach at Ole Miss in the midst of scandal which forced him to miss two football seasons. Liberty gave him his return to college coaching when the Flames hired him as head coach on December 7, 2018. In his first season, Freeze guided Liberty to an 8-5 record and to the program’s first ever bowl game where the Flames defeated Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl. Following the 2019 season, Freeze signed a new 5-year contract that will reportedly make him one of the highest Group of Five coaches in the country.

Moorhead lasted only 26 games in Starkville. Mississippi State hired him in November 2017 after coach Dan Mullen left to go to Florida. The team went 8–5 and become bowl eligible to play Iowa in the Outback Bowl during his debut season. However, Mississippi State went 6–7 in 2019. The Bulldogs struggled early in the season and lost four straight conference games before snapping their skid with a 54–24 win over Arkansas on Nov. 2. They advanced to the Music City Bowl this past season where they lost to Louisville, 38-28.