Former Ole Miss Rebel center and assistant coach Matt Luke will be returning to Oxford to again take on the role of offensive line coach. Luke will be leaving his former head coach and current boss David Cutcliffe, as he was performing the same duties for the Blue Devils of Duke.
A Gulfport native, Luke is best remembered as a captain of the 1998 Ole Miss team which won seven games and earned a berth in the Independence Bowl (Whoooooooo Shreveport!). He blocked for a handful of the 1990's most revered Rebels, including Deuce McAllister and Stewart Patridge.
After his senior season, Luke jumped straight into coaching by serving as a student assistant at Ole Miss in 1999. After graduation, he spent two years coaching the offensive line at Murray State before returning to Oxford in 2002. For three seasons, he coached the tight ends and offensive line before moving with Coach Cutcliffe to Knoxville in 2005. There he served as the Vols' recruiting coordinator.
On top of coaching the offensive line, Luke will be counted on as a recruiter. His knowledge and understanding of Ole Miss and Mississippi should serve him well in this regard. I know we've heard this before, but Coach Freeze seems to be building a team of recruiters in favor of a team of coaches. That isn't to suggest that Coach Luke or any of his associates aren't X's and O's or technique and training oriented; rather, it's just becoming clear that Freeze believes he'll need to significantly increase the talent level at Ole Miss in order to see wins in the future, and he's working towards that end.
Welcome back to Oxford, Coach Luke.