This past Friday the Committee On Infractions handed down sanctions against the Ole Miss football program. What’s next for the Ole Miss Rebels?
Beginning in late July, until this past Friday it has been a rollercoaster ride for Ole Miss football. Of course, every person who has had any emotional attachment to the University of Mississippi has had it pretty bad. However, this past Friday wasn’t really any better as the NCAA doled out their sanctions against Ole Miss.
We all have our own opinions about the COI’s ruling and the sanctions. With the exception of the bowl ban for 2018, we really got nothing more than what we had self-imposed. In my humble opinion it could have certainly been much worse for the school and should have been much worse for the former coaches involved. Most of us feel as though the NCAA had rather punish the players.
The important thing is Friday has now come and gone and the sun still came up. There is no huge hammer and certainly no death penalty. Of course, AD Ross Bjork and Chancellor Jeff Vitter have assured us they are going ‘vigorously fight’ the 2018 postseason ban. They absolutely should. I just hope they follow through with their promises.
Beyond that aspect, Ole Miss football fans were able to breathe a unified sigh of relief. Of course, now we know our plight and Ole Miss football is no longer under the cloud of uncertainty. Now Ole Miss football can move forward and get to work. It should be business as usual for head coach Matt Luke as he goes forward. Let’s look at what’s next for Ole Miss football going forward.
Luke Will Be Working
Ole Miss Rebels Football
The job of a college head football is never easy. There is no exception on the college level at all. Even Nick Saban has a tough job. However, the difficulties for Matt Luke are probably just a little greater given what this Ole Miss football program has to endure.
Now that Matt Luke has had the interim tag removed from head coach, he is under far less pressure and can begin to establish his own Ole Miss football program. This is a dream job for the former Ole Miss offensive lineman. He knows what this could mean for him and his love for the Flagship is priceless.
Matt Luke didn’t ask for any of this to happen. Almost five months ago Matt Luke was an offensive line coach and assistant head coach. He was looking forward to another great season and had no idea any of this would have ever happened.
Now Matt Luke is the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Not just that but Luke is also the coach who led this team through a tumultuous season and brought the Egg back to Oxford. So what will Matt Luke be working on?
The Future Luke Staff
Regardless of what you may think of Luke’s assistants, they’ve done a pretty good job. They helped coach a 6-6 team through a rough time in Ole Miss football program history. Could they have been better? Of course they could have. However when you consider the experience level of this staff sure they’re destined to make some mistakes.
Given a chance to stick around for the 2018 season our coordinators could be a game changer for the Ole Miss football program. A chance for a coach to have another year with the talent Ole Miss has could mean an outstanding 2018 season.
Coaches Phil Longo and Wesley McGriff should be back on the Rebels sideline next season. Of course, things happen but I think they are just starting to scratch the surface of this team’s potential. Besides, the Rebels improved on both sides of the ball from the 2016 to 2017 seasons. Another season for either Longo or McGriff come mean a huge boost for Ole Miss football as it moves forward.
How many of this Luke staff will be here for the 2018 kickoff remains to be seen? However, this is that time of year when staff changes begin to happen. There’s no idea just yet what staff changes, if any will be made. However, coach Matt Luke is busy evaluating his staff and seeing what changes should be made.
Busy Recruiting
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This will be one area where Matt Luke will be hard to beat when it comes to bringing great talent to the Ole Miss program. I’ve said before Luke will have an advantage when it comes to an outsider trying to recruit in Mississippi. Luke is a homegrown guy who has now played and coached at the Flagship University.
With the sanctions which have been handed down there may be a continued lull in recruiting. However, now that the sanctions are known it will help some recruits make up their minds about Ole Miss football. Now there is a full-time permanent head coach with Matt Luke and the choices are a lot easier.
Luke will be doing everything he can to boost recruiting based on what the Rebels needs really are. Of course, this means keeping as many of the original Luke staff as possible. Thus far, this current 2018 class is defense heavy. That is encouraging for Ole Miss Rebels fans who know we have lacked depth on that side of the ball for some time.
The recruits who the Rebels have targeted are needed and wanted to make an immediate impact. Look for Luke to beef up Ole Miss football recruiting. Expect recruiting to be one of the biggest jobs Luke has to work on. Still there is more to work on.
Keeping The Team Tight
Head coach Matt Luke realizes this team wanted him as head coach when all was said and done. Luke couldn’t have made the transition to permanent head coach without this team. Through the adversity and strife this team faced they played their hearts out. They finished the season 6-6 with a huge win in the Egg Bowl.
The team took to social media acknowledging Matt Luke as the guy the team wanted to see the next head coach. This is a strong team physically and even stronger emotionally. Sure, things happen and there may be a transfer or two, however they ultimately got their choice as head coach. AD Ross Bjork and Chancellor Jeff Vitter made the right call on hiring the head coach the players want to play for.
There is once again a new head coach who has the support of a team behind him. Luke has already done the toughest job as a head coach. He has built a football team which is ready for 2018 and beyond. Now all he has to do is keep up the momentum and keep the team together as a whole. This shouldn’t be a very hard job for Luke but it’s going to be something he’ll constantly be working on.
Excitement and attitude are the keys to this team and the future of Ole Miss football. They are very obvious with this head coach and this group of Rebels. These are the things which reflect the head coach and staff more than anything else. It will be Luke’s responsibility to keep them both at a high level.
Working On Ole Miss Family
The Ole Miss family is important. When you look at the renovations to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium you see the efforts of a fervent administration and very strong fan base. The fans are the people the program thrives on and are some of the most dedicated in the nation.
However, in recent years fandom in Oxford has waned at best. With the NCAA fiasco and waiting for the hammer to fall some Rebels have lost interest in the Rebels. Many fans have grown tired of ridiculousness over mascots. Some have lost trust in the Ole Miss administration. Of course, most have just hated seeing the Rebels topple from a Sugar Bowl win to this.
Head coach Matt Luke has his work cut out for him to this end. Some fans aren’t happy Luke is the head coach. They feel as though AD Ross Bjork took the easy hire. Others however believe Luke is the perfect man for the job. It will be up to Matt Luke to prove the naysayers wrong. Of course, the immediate impact will be what he does on the field.
Ole Miss football fans want wins. Wins always make everything better. Wins are what put butts in the seats. Ultimately wins help sellout stadiums and pay for expansions. Until Ole Miss coaches put a quality product on the field and win games there will be more focus on The Grove than Ole Miss football.
There’s no doubt Ole Miss football has its work cut out for it in the future. However, no Ole Miss has the road ahead and not the doom and gloom cloud of the NCAA hanging over it. Ole Miss has a native son, a part of the Ole Miss family to lead us into the future. The Matt Luke era has begun and he and Ole Miss football will be very busy. Hotty Toddy!