Freeman was near the top of almost every list for next HC openings; players love him, and he's a very good recruiter. When you have that guy in-house, you elevate him ASAP.

That's what VT wrestling did when Kevin Dresser left a few years ago. Tony Robie had built that program into a national powerhouse with Dresser over 10 years, and people in the know understood that Robie had as much, or more, to do with the drastically improved recruiting. Every program in the country that anticipated an HC opening had Robie on their list. All of us who knew the wrestling program well implored Whit to elevate Robie quickly, and he did. The program is even better now.

Elevating someone in-house is sometimes a weak, uninspired, lazy move ... but not when that in-house person is the guy everyone else wants to steal away. Freeman is in that category.