Matt Luke hired by another SEC school after leaving Ole Miss

Georgia acted quickly to replace its vacancy at offensive line coach. The Bulldogs hired Matt Luke on Tuesday, the school confirmed.

After falling 37-10 in the SEC Championship to LSU, Georgia suffered another loss with Sam Pittman, who became head coach at Arkansas after being the Bulldogs’ offensive line coach since head coach Kirby Smart was hired in Dec. 2015.

Smart had to act quickly with Early Signing Day coming on Dec. 18. Luke was fired on Dec. 1 as head coach at Ole Miss after spending three seasons (one as interim head coach and two as head coach) with the Rebels trying to rebuild the program as an offensive mind.

“He’s a proven football coach who has a wealth of experience on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the offensive line,” Smart said. “He has a great reputation among those who have played for him and it’s obvious watching his teams over many years that players love him and play hard for him.”

Luke received support from Georgia recruits, current and former players, according to reports. At the time of Pittman’s dismissal, Georgia had five pledges for its 2020 recruiting class. Most of them attributed a strong relationship with Pittman as a reason for committing to the Bulldogs. Luke will likely visit with those prospects in quick fashion.

Smart has dealt with the coaching carousel in each offseason of his tenure. Most recently, Georgia promoted Dan Lanning to co-defensive coordinator and hired Charlton Warren as defensive backs’ coach last season to fill the responsibilities of former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. Tucker is now the head coach at Colorado.

Georgia concludes its season on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor.

This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Matt Luke hired by another SEC school after leaving Ole Miss."