Matt Luke’s firing surprised this new Ole Miss commit. Here’s where he stands now.
Less than a week ago, George County junior M.J. Daniels called Ole Miss football coach Matt Luke to inform him that he wanted to commit early to become a part of the Rebels’ recruiting class of 2021.
“He was excited about it,” said Daniels, who played quarterback, receiver and defensive back for George County this season.
On Sunday, Daniels and many current Ole Miss players were disappointed to hear that Luke had been fired.
“I was just like everybody else. I was surprised,” Daniels said Monday. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
Daniels let Luke know in a phone call on Tuesday that he wanted to commit before he made the trip to Starkville on Thursday to watch his future team take on arch rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
Daniels made his commitment public on Friday, a day after the Rebels suffered a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to the Bulldogs.
The fact that Luke, a Gulfport native, was the head coach played a significant role in his early pledge.
“Matt Luke is the guy I wanted to be coached by,” Daniels said. “Since the first time I met him, I felt like I knew him forever. I just like being around him.
“On my first visit, I loved the vibe, I loved being there.”
Will MJ Daniels stay committed to Ole Miss?
Even with all the uncertainty surrounding the football program, Daniels said Monday that he has not wavered on his decision to commit to the Rebels.
“Either way, I’m still 100 percent committed to Ole Miss,” he said. “I just hope they bring in the right guy.”
Consultation from his parents helped him decide to stick with the Rebels.
“They just said stay with it. Whatever happens from here, happens,” Daniels said.
Daniels, who also holds an offer from South Alabama, is a two-sport star who will have a major role to play as a pitcher and outfielder for the George County baseball team this season. At Ole Miss, he plans to join other athletes who plan to play both baseball and football, including freshman quarterback John Rhys Plumlee and freshman running back Jerrion Ealy.
“I played (baseball) against Jerrion Ealy and I talked a couple of times with him when I went up there,” Daniels said. “I had fun on my visits.”
A 6-3, 185-pound athlete who expects to play defensive back on the college level, Daniels had six interceptions and 30 tackles this past season. On offense, he threw for 626 yards and five touchdowns and had 16 catches for 298 yards and four TDs.
Luke was 6-6 in his first season as head coach on an interim basis in 2017, but suffered back-to-back losing seasons after accepting the job full-time. Ole Miss finished 5-7 in 2018 and 4-8 in 2019.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 12:23 PM.
