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In the wake of devastating home loss at to Mississippi State, Ole Miss has announced that its parted ways with defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff, per Rebel Grove’s Chase Parham.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched the Rebels play defense over the past two seasons. Ole Miss finished 113th in defensive S&P+ in McGriff’s first season and rank 109th in this year. The unit never gained its footing under McGriff’s watch, looking slow, out of sorts, and unable to execute game in and game out. There is no hiding that the defense has been an issue for the past three seasons, it was on full display for the entire nation to see for 12 weeks in 2018.
The first concern for head coach Matt Luke is finding a replacement—whether that comes soon or after the early signing period in mid-December remains to be seen. Three of the Rebels’ current commits (offensive linemen Carter Colquitt, Jeremy James, and Reece McIntyre) were recruited by McGriff and he was responsible for several other 2020 targets.
McGriff was a constant on the recruiting trail back when he was just a position coach, signing big names such as Robert Nkemdiche, Tony Conner, Lavon Hooks, Quincy Adeboyejo, and Evan Engram.