When Dave Wommack announced his retirement hours before his defense was eviscerated in the Egg Bowl, Ole Miss fans immediately began dreaming about big-name replacements who could help turn around a unit that ranked 77th in defensive S&P+ in 2016. Rumored candidates ranged from Charlie Strong (who was hired as USF’s head coach over the weekend) to Tom Allen (promoted to head coach at Indiana) to Jim Leavitt (snatched up by Oregon as DC). In the end, however, Freeze reached for the type of candidate that he’s always reached for: a former assistant.
According to ESPN, the next defensive coordinator at Ole Miss is expected to be Auburn defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff, who spent a season on Freeze’s staff in 2012.