OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze began his first news conference since the university received a new NCAA notice of allegations last week by saying how grateful he was that the investigation into his program was finally over.
"We can now move forward," he told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. "I look forward to getting our response completed and in front of the NCAA and before the committee on infractions."
By rule, Ole Miss has 90 days to respond to the new notice of allegations, which includes eight additional alleged rules violations. The university was accused of lack of institutional control and Freeze with failure to monitor his coaching staff.
Speaking before the first practice of spring camp, Freeze reiterated that he intended to fight the NCAA's charge of failure to monitor his staff.
"I'll concentrate on [how] to prove that," he said.
Freeze, who struck a tone of optimism during much of his 25-minute news conference, called it a "remarkable opportunity" to lead in a "difficult time." He said he wasn't concerned about his job security and wouldn't allow himself to think about the possibility of a suspension.
That hardest part of the investigation, he said, was his integrity being questioned publicly.
"Would I have done anything different?" he said. "That's something I have and will continue to think about. ... Certainly, as you look back from 2012 to '13 to '14 to '15 to '16, I have done a lot of things differently and will continue to evaluate that through this process."
Freeze said he was "hopeful" that once the school went before the committee on infractions and showed its perspective, they would be able to change some of the charges.
Last Wednesday, Ole Miss self-imposed a one-year bowl ban for the 2017 season after the school received the new NCAA notice of allegations that included eight additional alleged rules violations. The NCAA has now accused the program of 21 total rules violations by current and former members of the coaching staff dating back to a notice of allegations in January, which led the school to self-impose a reduction of 11 total scholarships from 2015-18.
While athletic director Ross Bjork said the school found evidence to support at least three of the new charges, he also said that it would contest the allegations of lack of institutional control and failure to monitor.
"This allegation is not based on personal involvement and violations by Coach Freeze, but because he's personally responsible for the allegations involving his staff that occurred between October 2012 and January 2016," Bjork said in a video statement released by the university. "Although we disagree, according to the NCAA, Coach Freeze has not rebutted the presumption that he's responsible for his staff's action."
Even given the self-imposed bowl ban and lingering threat of further NCAA punishment, Freeze said he was "blown away" by his players' response.
He said that team's goal is to do the most it can with the 12 regular-season games it will be afforded.
"It's something that fell in their lap that almost none of them had nothing to do with," he said, "and yet, they're going to pay the penalty. And we think it's necessary for us to be responsible and move forward."
ESPN reporter Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.