Now that Christmas is over coach Matt Luke, Ole Miss football and Rebels fans are looking toward a new year which will be much better.
When you look back at 2018 then you clearly know it wasn’t a very good year for Ole Miss football. Of course, you can look back at the past several years and say the same. 2018 was a rough season for the Rebels but things began to get better as soon as the season was over and continued thru the early signing period. There are still questions which surround the Ole Miss football program which will need to be answered in the short-term.
While we still have less than a week left before new year it is highly unlikely we will see any new action made towards making a hire for the vacant offensive coordinators position before the end of the year. Some Rebels fans want to see Matt Luke hurry up and fill the position, however many fans believe the longer the process takes then ultimately the outcome will be much better. So we wait for what is yet to come.
2019 Will Be Better
Ole Miss Rebels
As Ole Miss football fans we have become accustomed to saying, “Well there is always next year.” Sure there have been plenty of disappointing seasons throughout the history of being Rebels fans. Of course, there have also been some seasons which have been better for Ole Miss football and us Rebels fans. The 2018 season wasn’t one of the latter. And so we look forward to what 2019 has to offer us when we look at Ole Miss football.
One, we will be looking at a new defense with the hiring of Mike MacIntyre as the new defensive coordinator. Of course, the DC job came open immediately following the Egg Bowl loss in the Rebels season finale as Wesley McGriff was relieved of his duties. The 2017 and 2018 Ole Miss defenses were both ranked as two of the worst defenses in the nation and in program history. The bright side is there is really no place for the defense to go but up.
Two, we will see the addition of a new offensive coordinator. Former Ole Miss OC Phil Longo left Oxford to become the new offensive coordinator at North Carolina. It was widely expected Longo would be looking for a new job and coach Matt Luke would have another vacant spot to fill. It is expected Luke will want someone who is very familiar with the up-tempo style offense which the Rebels have become accustomed to. While there has been much speculation about who might be the new OC for now the position is still apparently wide open. 2019 will offer us all a big surprise early in January.
The Future Is Brighter Now
Despite the dismal 2018 Ole Miss football season things have already gotten better. For Ole Miss fans who believe the sky is falling it really isn’t. The dark cloud of the NCAA is now behind us and we can move forward as a better program. There is no longer a bowl ban to worry about and the recruiting restrictions are a thing of the past.
The 2019 signing class has received major criticism but is still currently the No.23 ranked class in the nation. Is there room for improvement for this class? Of course, but it could be far worse than it is. Some pundits believed the strong-arm of the NCAA and coaching changes would severely impact the class but it appears as though it had little effect.
Other Positives
Now with football season behind us there are other sports which have garnered their fair share of attention from Ole Miss fans. Both men’s and women’s hoops have been on the court for a couple of months and giving us a glimpse of the future in both sports. Right now the Ole Miss men’s team has a record of 9-2 under new head coach Kermit Davis. The Ole Miss women’s team is sitting at 5-8 and will be closing out their non-conference schedule this Friday under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin who is also in her first season in Oxford.
February 15th will mark the beginning of the 2019 edition of Ole Miss baseball which enters the year with a No.11 national ranking. The dean of the SEC as the longest tenured head coach among the big-three sports is coach Mike Bianco who enters his 19th season as skipper for the diamond Rebels. The Rebels enter 2019 off an incredible 2018 season which saw them have much success finishing their season 48-17.
While 2018 wasn’t the best year for Ole Miss football there are positives which we can look forward to in 2019. As Ole Miss Rebels we don’t need to be accepting of a lot we’ve been forced to deal with, however we should always be willing to set our expectations to include a positive future for Ole Miss athletics. OHT wants to wish all our readers and Rebels everywhere a great year in 2019 and just maybe 2019 will be a positive new year for Ole Miss football. Hotty Toddy!