Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
It’s good enough for me

Hugh Freeze is a Baptist preacher. Apparently, Mt. Zion Baptist Church ordained him many years ago. It seems a perfect training to be an SEC football coach. As an SEC coach you speak to large crowds, you speak to your players and you appear on television about as often as Jim Bakker. However, don’t think that Freeze has left his religion behind now that he is head coach at Ole Miss.

Freeze told CBS Sports Bruce Feldman that several factors went into Ole Miss’ recruiting haul. One of those factors was God’s divine favor.

“I think the plan that we had in place and the connections and the natural ‘ins’ and God’s goodness to us and little luck and hard work has brought this fate to fruition for us,” Freeze said.

That strategy was good enough for Auburn and good enough for Gene Chizik.

It was good for the prophet Daniel
It was good for the prophet Daniel
It was good for the prophet Daniel
It is good enough for me

It was good enough for Auburn. Sure, putting God first was the strategy of Gene Chizik. And, it bore fruit.

It was by God’s good grace that Cam Newton came to Auburn. It was by God’s good grace that Cam and his daddy ignored Mississippi State.

Sure, there were some haters who questioned it. However, it went through the trial of an NCAA probe and was vindicated.

It was tried in the fiery furnace
It was tried in the fiery furnace
It was tried in the fiery furnace
It is good enough for me

The NCAA probed Auburn for a long, long time. In the end, God protected his chosen from the arrows of the ungodly.

Why expect any different at Ole Miss? When God is on your side, who can be against us?

Combining God and recruiting works. Just ask Rev. Newton, former Auburn coach Gene Chizik and now Ole Miss and its coach Hugh Freeze.

The only question now for SEC fans to ponder, has God turned away from Auburn now that Gene and Trooper Taylor have left? Or, will Rev. Gus turn Auburn back into the shining city on a hill? It could turn into a real battle for God’s favor in the SEC West.

5 thoughts on “Give me that old-time religion: Ole Miss recruiting strategy relies on God”

  1. As sincere as you are, it’s just never a good idea to credit God directly with something like a football game, a football recruiting haul, or anything else to do with the game of football.

    Say “We’re blessed…”

    Say “We’re thankful…”

    But bring God into a situation where the world clearly knows payola just happened early and often to get those kind of athletes to come to a lower teir school like Ole Miss, and you just sound like a tele-evangelistic idiot.

    1. I had a real problem with Chizik’s implied point that God favored Auburn in dramatic wins.

      I don’t have a problem with religion in sports. I think there is a place for it just like there is a place for it in any profession if the person wants it to be part of who they are.

      I do FIND it interesting who the people talking about God tend to be when it comes to recruiting.

      1. The song verse reminds me of Alvin, in the movie Sargent York. Alvin was the most decorated soldier that served in WWI.
        If you haven’t seen the movie, you should!

        1. Love that movie with Gary Cooper.

          That scene is one of the most moving conversion scenes I’ve watched in a film. It captured both the intensity of the personal experience with the uniqueness of the country church in the style of Sandy Creek instead of Charleston style church.

  2. do not be deceived – God is about bearing fruit and that fruit remain….not 1 bulldog wonders

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