Kirby Smart lost his offensive line coach to the head job at another SEC school. Now, Smart has turned to a former head coach in the conference to fill that hole on his staff.
Following up on burgeoning speculation over the last 24 hours, Georgia confirmed early Tuesday afternoon that Matt Luke has been hired by Smart as the Bulldogs’ line coach. Luke was fired as the head coach at Ole Miss Dec. 2 after three seasons on the job.
“We are extremely excited and fortunate to have Matt join our staff,” stated Smart. “He’s a proven football coach who has a wealth of experience on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the offensive line. 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 has previously served as the line coach at Ole Miss (2011-16; 2002-05), Duke (2008-11) and Tennessee (2006-07). Luke also played offensive line for the Rebels in the late nineties as well.
Sunday, Arkansas confirmed that Sam Pittman, the man Luke is replacing in Athens, has been hired as that SEC program’s head coach.