I have been very vocal about my disapproval of Matt Luke as the head football coach. I stand by my opinion that AT THIS POINT Matt Luke is a 4-7 win football coach in this league. As an OL coach he was average at Best, and as a recruiter he was above average clearly. I personally believe that Ole Miss needed a solid established head football coach that knew how to rebuild a program. Matt Luke is not that person. However, he is what we got at this point, and there are some things that we need to remember.
First, Matt Luke is average right now, but that isn't to say that he might find his footing and turn into a great head football coach. The players seem to take him as a genuine guy, and while there are going to be some players that think he is out of his league, new recruits that join the program will not see his inadequacies and will "buy in more". Also, remember that with every job there is a learning curve. When I started my own business, there was a lot of things that I just had to learn on the go, and Matt Luke will experience the same thing. He made a lot of mistakes this past year coaching. I suspect that some of those mistakes we won't see next year and as seasons go on, we will see improvement. Nick Saban of the past 6 years at Alabama was not the same Nick Saban that took the head coaching job at Michigan State in the late 90's.
Second, the sanctions and all investigation is behind us after February. I believe that Sankey's confidence that our appeal will be good sends a message that he knows something, and we will get bowl eligibility back in 2018. I don't think that any of us can truly quantify how much the past five years of NCAA hell has taken a toll on the program and the results that we have seen. Players lost, money spent, anguish and agony on coaches etc.... may have been a difference in games for sure. We don't have that Albatross hanging around our neck any longer.
Third, Luke is going to make changes as he sees fit. I'm certain that he will make some staff changes, but now isn't necessarily the time for that. He will see what he likes and doesn't like about the program and make adjustments as necessary, I am sure.
It's just time to be thankful that the NCAA is over and give Luke a fair shake. At this point we can't change that. I still contend that Ole Miss will always have a hindrance to success as long as Lee Tyner is giving legal council and Matt Ball is leading the compliance program.
First, Matt Luke is average right now, but that isn't to say that he might find his footing and turn into a great head football coach. The players seem to take him as a genuine guy, and while there are going to be some players that think he is out of his league, new recruits that join the program will not see his inadequacies and will "buy in more". Also, remember that with every job there is a learning curve. When I started my own business, there was a lot of things that I just had to learn on the go, and Matt Luke will experience the same thing. He made a lot of mistakes this past year coaching. I suspect that some of those mistakes we won't see next year and as seasons go on, we will see improvement. Nick Saban of the past 6 years at Alabama was not the same Nick Saban that took the head coaching job at Michigan State in the late 90's.
Second, the sanctions and all investigation is behind us after February. I believe that Sankey's confidence that our appeal will be good sends a message that he knows something, and we will get bowl eligibility back in 2018. I don't think that any of us can truly quantify how much the past five years of NCAA hell has taken a toll on the program and the results that we have seen. Players lost, money spent, anguish and agony on coaches etc.... may have been a difference in games for sure. We don't have that Albatross hanging around our neck any longer.
Third, Luke is going to make changes as he sees fit. I'm certain that he will make some staff changes, but now isn't necessarily the time for that. He will see what he likes and doesn't like about the program and make adjustments as necessary, I am sure.
It's just time to be thankful that the NCAA is over and give Luke a fair shake. At this point we can't change that. I still contend that Ole Miss will always have a hindrance to success as long as Lee Tyner is giving legal council and Matt Ball is leading the compliance program.
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