Externally, Matt Luke was widely viewed as a lame-duck head coach with little or no chance to be Hugh Freeze's permanent replacement at Ole Miss. Those assumptions were wrong and Rebels' players are ecstatic about it.
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Luke took over for Freeze in late July when Freeze — entering his sixth season in Oxford — resigned amidst allegations of impropriety. The 41-year-old Luke is a Mississippi native, played for the Rebels and had spent 10 of his first 18 years as an assistant with Ole Miss, including the last five on Freeze's staff.
Despite the coaching chaos, Luke led Ole Miss to a 6-6 mark, including a victory over Mississippi State in the regular-season finale. One day after the win, he was named permanent head coach, much to the delight of the players.
TFW @CoachMattLuke walks in as permanent head coach ???????? pic.twitter.com/DtScolRZiT
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 27, 2017
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NEXT: Mike Norvell Doesn't Seem Like a Guy Ready to Leave Memphis Anytime Soon
