Word on the street: Thoughts on head coach Matt Luke

Posted on Nov 28 2017 - 8:01am by Wilson Benton

Luke Logan is a sophomore accounting major from Hattiesburg and a member of the Ole Miss football team: “Coach Luke is the man we all wanted to have this job. He loves us, the university and this team,” he said. “(Luke) has proven that he deserves this, and I couldn’t be happier for him or more excited for our future with him as our head coach.”

Miss Ole Miss Savannah Smith is a senior public policy leadership and journalism double major from Corinth: “I’m excited about it. I feel like morale is high, and I’m really ready to see how next season goes with coach Luke,” she said.

Mikhail Love is a junior public policy leadership and international studies major from Jackson:  “Luke is a hometown Reb and has the respect of the players after keeping the ship steady through the storm,” he said. “I would like to have seen a more high caliber and nationally accredited hire, but I think Luke will be good for us in years to come.”

Julia Ashley is a senior art major from Seminary: “I am so excited that Matt Luke has been given the opportunity to fill the position as Ole Miss’ head coach,” she said. “With the support of the football team and the Oxford community, I feel that he will have great success.”

Terrius Harris from Eagle River, Alaska, is a senior international business and French major: “Hiring Matt Luke as head coach is the smartest decision for the university. He is not only a familiar face that is well received by the Oxford-University community but also one of few people who is deeply familiar with the Ole Miss football team’s past relations with the NCAA,” he said. “As the person with the most experience and a vast amount of potential, making (Luke) head coach of the Ole Miss football team was the only right choice that could be made.”

Shelton Wittenberg is a senior dietetics and nutrition major from Memphis, Tennessee: “Ole Miss made the right move hiring Matt Luke. He has loved Ole Miss football forever, and he is going to continue loving it and the players regardless of the NCAA sanctions,” she said. “We need a coach to bring Ole Miss together in the face of trials, and this season, Matt Luke has proven that he is capable of producing wins. There are things that need to be improved, but I think those changes will come with experience.”

Grey Hamilton is a senior entrepreneurship major from Southern Pines, North Carolina, and a member of the Ole Miss men’s tennis team: “I trust the members of the team, especially the stars like A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf, who have continually expressed desire for him to be the man for the job,” he said. “The guys in the locker room know more than the fans.”

Ashley Biggs is a sophomore art major from Normal, Oklahoma: “At first, I wasn’t sure about Matt Luke as head coach permanently, because of how poorly our team did at times this year,” she said. “However, I have come to believe that he will do an incredible job. The players love him and look up to him. Also, he is personable and cares about our players individually, and that’s what we want in a head coach.”

Joseph Upton is a freshman chemistry major from Jackson: “I think the players like him, and it will help keep some of them here as the NCAA sanctions come out,” he said.