Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn have plenty in common, not the least of which is that each man coached at Arkansas State before Auburn.

The two are old friends from their days coaching in high school, Freeze in Memphis and Malzahn in nearby Arkansas. Freeze mentioned their close relationship during his appearance at SEC Media Days on Tuesday in Nashville.

“Gus is a dear friend of mine, who I talk with about a lot of things,” Freeze said. “He’s just so complimentary of Auburn and the people and the things that can happen there.”

Malzahn was head coach at Auburn from 2013-20 and is now at Central Florida. Despite having been fired by Auburn three years ago, he had good things to say about the school and community when Freeze was hired in November.

“Happy for my friend (Hugh Freeze) for getting the Auburn job!” Malzahn tweeted. “That’s a special place, you’re going to love it. I’ve also got a couple old sweater vests laying around if you ever need them.”