Sunday, December 1, 2019

Luke Fired (Updated)

Updated at 8:05 PM to include Ole Miss statement. 

Well that was quick.  Neal McReady just Tweeted that Ole Miss fired Head Football Coach Matt Luke. The university apparently bought out the entire offensive staff as well.    Ole Miss issued the following statement on its website:

Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter dismissed Matt Luke as head football coach on Sunday and has launched a search for the program's next leader.

"After evaluating the overall trajectory of our football program, we did not see enough momentum on the field and determined a change is necessary in order for our student-athletes to compete at the highest level," Carter said. "While improvements were evident in certain aspects of the program, we are judged ultimately by our record, and, unfortunately, we did not meet the standard of success that we expect from our program. We will always be grateful to Coach Luke for his leadership, particularly from a recruiting, academic and overall culture standpoint. At the same time, winning is important, and we know that we can compete for championships at Ole Miss.

"A search is underway to find a new head coach who can build a complete program that attracts top talent, develops them as young men and sustains a winning mentality. We will be looking for the leadership, energy and commitment to excellence necessary to compete in the Southeastern Conference and galvanize our passionate fan base."

After one season as the interim coach, Luke was introduced as the program's 38th head coach on Nov. 27, 2017. He compiled a 15-21 record in three seasons, including a 4-8 record in 2019 that concluded with a 21-20 loss at Mississippi State on Thursday.

"I want to thank Coach Luke for his devotion to Ole Miss," Carter said. "His integrity, class and dedication to this program and our student-athletes is unsurpassed, and we will always appreciate how he stepped up at a time when his university needed him the most. We wish him the very best, and he will always be a cherished member of the Ole Miss family."

Carter will hold a press conference Monday at 11 a.m. CT, and it will be broadcast live on SEC Network+ (on the ESPN app), OleMissSports.com and @OleMissSports on Twitter.
 MSN.com reported on the buyout in September:

Luke, a Mississippi native and former Ole Miss offensive lineman (and longtime assistant coach), received a starting salary of $3 million for 2018, which increases by $100,000 in each of the four years:
2018: $3 million
2019: $3.1 million
2020: $3.2 million
2021: $3.3 million

He is eligible for several bonuses, including $150,000 per non-conference Power Five win, which he collected in his first game as permanent head coach, a win over Texas Tech in Week 1 of the 2018 season. Among the other bonuses:

SEC win starting in 2020: $150,000
SEC Championship appearance: $150,000
SEC Championship: $400,000
College Football Playoff appearance: $500,000
National championship: $1 million

If Ole Miss fires Matt Luke prior to the contract's expiration on Dec. 31, 2021, they owe him the full remaining balance. For example, for simplicity's sake, if he's fired on Jan. 1, 2020, he is owed $6.5 million ($3.2 million for 2020 plus $3.3 million for 2021). If fired on Jan. 1, 2021, he's owed $3.3 million. Article.


MSN called it one of the "most coach-friendly contracts in college football."  Other reports state the head coach and staff buyout is $17 million.


71 comments:

Anonymous said...

HYDR!

Anonymous said...

Elijah Moore, MVP. Got Luke fired, made State keep Morehead. HOTTY TODDY

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know who is on the short list for the next coach? Better yet, does anyone know the consultant hired to pick the next coach?

Anonymous said...

YOU....GOTTA......BE KIDDIN ME!!! Ain’t Nobody worth that much! Now folks, tell me this all ain’t about money ! This is sickening. Do you know how many kids that would send to college? Do you know how much that would go toward a Vo/Tech program?!!! They need nothing!!!

Anonymous said...

BUT, BUT... they were heading is such a great direction!

2017 - 6 & 6
2018 - 5 & 7
2019 - 4 & 8

The only thing they can say positive is that they didn't piss away as much money as TAMU did on their coach friendly contract.

As much as Luke "loved Ole Miss" this is a shame. But at least now MSU won't have to worry about their players suffering possible career ending breaks at the bottom of scrum piles anymore while playing on Thanksgiving weekends.

Anonymous said...

Does Elijah Moore get to keep his football "scholarship"?

Anonymous said...

All those donations to your alma mater going towards hiring shitty coaches and paying them to leave.

Anonymous said...

These salaries are insane.

Anonymous said...

a guy coaches 2-3 years at an SEC universitie, gets lousy results, gets fired and is now set for life money wise. what a deal that is

Anonymous said...

7:40 Go ask that question to all the high academic kids Alabama has recruited and given full rides. The stat I recently heard while on a visit with my HS senior was 40% of Bama's freshmen now have a 30 or higher on the ACT. They are recruiting MS kids based on academic achievements very hard taking many of our brightest. Ask them from where the scholarship funds come and you will hear about all the money the football program brings into the university. While these salary figures are insane, the football programs at P5 schools are revenue generators and add money to the coffers.

The piss smelled round the world said...

Moore must have eaten asparagus for dinner

Anonymous said...

Not a good advertisement for OM Business or Law. Crazy contract and they were negotiating with a guy that was going to say yes. Shrewd bunch.

Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself said...

Who f-ing cares? An overpaid and underperforming coach at an overrated "University" who can't keep his athletes from acting like entitled assholes.

Anonymous said...

Do you think the fact that Luke’s wife hugged the guy that acted like a dog urinating after the game had anything to do with this monumental decision for this decision”

Anonymous said...

Highest paid, least successful STATE EMPLOYEE ever.

Anonymous said...

Kickbacks is what I smell. @7:37 probably thought the Moore dogleg hike was cute and then blamed the missed kick on the same leg hike. Hotty Toddy. Y’all have changed everything else. When is your slogan going to be banned?

Anonymous said...

The lawyer that represented UM in negotiating that contract should have his ass kicked.

Anonymous said...

but we can’t afford health care

Anonymous said...

I’m just glad Jo Mo is staying.

Anonymous said...

Sort of reminds me of when Eddie O was fired and Croom got to stay.

Now Hiring in Ridgeland. said...

Maybe Matt Luke could get a job at Costco passing out the mini quiche samples. Qualifications: you must love cheese and quiche.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Peeli Manning isn’t doing anything these days! And he actually urinated in public on one of his many drunken/high nights on fraternity row. That combo should be good enough for at least a second round interview, right???

(By the way, why does Keith Carter still have a job?)

Gomers Pyle said...

Surprise, surprise, surprise.

Anonymous said...

That money could fill a lot of pot holes in Eastover! LOL

Anonymous said...

Stop worshipping sportsball.

LSU is our real rival said...

I love when their pompous fans try and downplay the egg bowl like they are destined for an SEC championship or better each year and it’s just another game for them. Luke was hired because he won the egg bowl(DK Metcalf pissing in the end zone game) and fired because he lost the egg bowl(Moore pissing in the end zone). Nowhere in OM’s statement says anything about the handling of the incident(either of them).

Anonymous said...

Alleluia! Somebody actually agreed this sophomoric end field s**t isn't cute.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Ole Miss can tempt Saban away from Alabama with an armload of timber deeds and a guaranteed post-retirement gig as a consultant at a law firm to be named later. Eh, probably not. Besides, Ole Miss will have to be realistic about who will want the job...anyone have Willie Taggart's phone number?

Anonymous said...

D.K.Metcalf called Elijah to say the Seattle Seahawks are reserving a spot for him on their roster, and a $4.6 million contract.

Anonymous said...

9:55 x 2

Doodley Squat said...

As to who will be hired to lead the search, Glen Boyce was hired several months back. And the Egg Bowl or the pizzaroo had nothing to do with Luke's firing. 6-6, 5-7, 4-8 got him fired.

Who the hell else in the SEC would last as long with that record? Oh, but 'he loves Ole Myth'. Yeah, well so does the janitor at the Lyceum building, but if he doesn't dump the trash cans and change out the TP rolls, his ass is gone!

Fedora and Croom are on the short list.

Anonymous said...

= 19.10

Anonymous said...

ole' Missus' junior offensive lineman Chandler Tuitt:

"But you realize, there's no program without players," Tuitt said. "You're basing stuff off the fans. But we don't care about the fans that much. I'm going to be honest. We're here for the coach. We love football. If you don't want to support us, that's just your fault."

THAT is what you call a lack of institutional control. Luke and good God, his idiot wife....were coddling this entitled brats, and managing by committee where everyone has to be happy. Perhaps half the team does need to leave with that kind of attitude. Oxford breeds zero respect for Mississippi.

If Elijah Moore keeps his scholarship, it will stink to high heaven....and just encourage more bad attitudes and behavior, and less winning attitudes and behavior.

Anonymous said...

The doctor that saved my life last year didn’t make 3 million. Our priorities are wrong.

Anonymous said...

Hat's off to Luke. He was nothing more than a sacrificial lamb. UM new they weren't going to win with him when they hired him, BUT - NO ONE ELSE WANTED THE JOB! The truth be known, he didn't want the job, but he felt an obligation to his Alma mater. The same situation unfolded years back at MSU when they hired Rocky Felker. The best of luck to you, Matt.

Anonymous said...

Flagship University ..... Ha! My ass.

Anonymous said...

6:43, nobody bought a ticket or tuned in on TV to watch your doctor.

KF, news reports say Carter stated that all coaches will have an opportunity to interview with the new coach. that doesn't sound like the offensive staff was canned they way you said at the top of this

Anonymous said...

I'm really hoping when I walk into work today my boss hands me a $4,000,000.00 check and says "You're fired". That would be the start of a great week, month and 2020!

Anonymous said...

While Americans argue over which University is the most diverse and fields the most althetic but illiterate mandingoes... Chinese Universities spend zero dollars on gridiron football and are building quantum super computers and genetically modified designer super babies.

Anonymous said...

7:53, actually American universities are over flowing with Chinese students who recognize the quality and value of our university system. Don’t confuse college and college sports. Two completely different constituencies

Kingfish said...

All right, no more China crap on this thread unless it's the old joke about Rice University

Anonymous said...

"...he will always be a cherished member of the Ole Miss family."

That is the best BS line of the entire press release. Just like reading "Julius Caesar". Praise him and then stab him in the back.

Anonymous said...

Q: Do you know why the Rebels should change their name to the "Opossums?"

A: Because they play dead at home and get killed on the road.

Anonymous said...

17M, that's chicken feed. Dickie can take care of that in the blink of an eye.

Anonymous said...

It's high time for more African American coaches in the SEC. The University of Mississippi should be required to interview at least 3 African American candidates. What a day it would be if they actually hired an African American head coach. That would truly show that it's a new day in Oxford!

Anonymous said...

Who is next to walk the short plank on oxford?

Merge the schools and then maybe have a program worth a shit

Anonymous said...

Post of the day Kingfish!

PittPanther said...

Pitt sucked this year but managed to finish 7-5. What bowl is Ole Piss going to? Potty Toddy!

Anonymous said...

Whether or not players 'like the coach' equals zero if the team can't win. Three years at 15 wins and 21 losses, none of the wins against ranked teams and very damned few against SEC schools. But he loved the university and the players loved him. Kudos to Boyce for making the right decision. I just wish to hell he had fired Bjork before he bailed.

Kingfish said...

This went according to plan. Ole Miss knew it couldn't get a halfway decent head coach at the time. So it picked this poor schmuck who had never done anything to show he was deserving of a IA head coaching job, much less one at a Power 5 Conference. He knows football and frankly, I like listening to him on those ESPN shows where the coaches comment on a game as it happens. However, he was in way over his head and everyone knew it. They played on his Ole Miss ties, dangled the money in front of him and of course he came to Ole Miss. Why wouldn't he? Sort of how Pompey was given an army on the cheap and sent out to face Sertorious on his home turf.

I don't blame him one bit for coming to Ole Miss nor for how things turned out. There are no bad troops, just bad leaders and the leadership at Ole Miss set him up for failure. Period. He did about as well as anyone with his limited resume would have done with the restrictions the program endured from the NCAA.

I won't be surprised if he winds up one day as a head coach at a lower school and then works his way up.

Anonymous said...

KF wrote, "I won't be surprised if he winds up one day as a head coach at a lower school and then works his way up."

Um, didn't he just complete that first career milestone?

Kingfish said...

Speaking of hot seats, see Coach Robinson and Marcus ALlen on the sidelines with Orgeron Saturday night? Think some USC boosters aren't pretty ticked off right now?

Zoltar said...

Mike Leach will be the next head coach at Ole Miss.

Anonymous said...

Kingfishes comment @12:27 is spot on. I am a State fan, but he did what no one else wanted or would do. I feel confident that in the negotiating this was well understood. You do well, you will keep being rewarded. Even if you don't, we understand you know your role, don't let the program get too far out of control, and we will reward you handsomely in the end. Luke may love his rebels, but even he isn't taking that beating for free. He did his job and I bet he is not mad at all this morning.

PS, I am pulling for Joey Freshwater as his replacement!

Anonymous said...

David Shaw had Stanford just had his worst season as head coach.
He would make a great replacement but Old Miss could probably not afford him.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Kingfish’s assessment about OM’s decision to give Luke the perm job in 2017. It was a low-risk call: if he is successful, great! If he falls in his ass, no big deal, he was a “transitional” figure all along. Clearly, it played out as the latter. That said, someone did a rotten job negotiating Luke’s contract. That’s pretty rich for a “transitional” coach. But as long as there are enough plaintiff’s attorneys with Ole Miss degrees and more money than brains to pay off these failed coaches, so be it.

If recent history is any indication, I believe that there is a very good chance MacIntyre gets the job. Ole Miss announced today that he “will be in charge of the program” during the search.

Anonymous said...

Since this is such a historic event for Ole Miss, where on campus will they place the Elijah Moore statue?

Anonymous said...

8:54 quit your cry'n about Healthcare.

I've managed to have healthcare ever since I was 24 years old.
You just have to set your priorities.

Anonymous said...

8:54

Horshack dun it!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

12:47 Coach O is a great coach because of Joe Burrow. Take him out of the mix and the Tigers have lost 3.

Anonymous said...

Financially Coach Luke and his family are set for life. Career wise he will be able to work as a coach elsewhere (Duke?). Long-Term Ole Miss is the villain and Coach Luke the good guy!

Anonymous said...

Kingfish: You might orta know he didn't 'come to Ole Miss' to accept this job. He's been on staff there for years. He was an interim from the get go. He simply became an interim with a contract.

Anonymous said...

Colihjar Moore did not get Luke fired. Luke was going to be fired the second Boyce was hired. And Moorhead's retention had nothing to do with it. Although he should be fired, you can't fire a new coach who takes you to two bowl games and wins his first two eggs. Next year is Moorhead's last unless he wins 9.

Anonymous said...

:58, support your statement re Boyce.

Anonymous said...

Much Ado About Nothing.

Ole Miss sucks.

Mississippi State sucks.

Anonymous said...

3:14, brilliant analysis, except you missed a few important points. How did Burrow end up at LSU? Coach O. How did LSU have such a dynamic offense this year? Coach O brought in Joe Brady. Why’d Burrow have all those talented receivers to work with, one of whom will receive the Biletnikoff Award in all likelihood? Coach O. What about Clyde Edwards-Helaire, without whom LSU is unlikely to have won some games, especially the Alabama game? Yes, Coach O again. Face it, he has won 9 games, 10 games and 12 or more games in the last 3 seasons. Would LSU be as good without Burrow? Would most teams that are successful be as successful without a key player? No, but then who recruited, coached up, or at least was responsible for the coaching staff that guided the key player(s). The head coach. So give the man some credit. You look foolish otherwise.

Anonymous said...

Anybody heard if Elijah Moore still has a scholarship? That will sorely reflect on the institution if he keeps it.....

Anonymous said...

7:57 - Common sense tells the rest of us that Boyce came into this job knowing this interim place-holder would not survive. You seem to not have that trait.

Anonymous said...

Why Moorhead?
Moorhead will stay coach at MSU for many years.
2020 MSU Schedule.
MSU should be favored to win 8.
Moorhead is following the same path as Mullen.
Win most of the games your favored in.
Beat sec west teams when their not good.
Don’t loose the weak non conference games.
Kentucky every year. Missouri and Vanderbilt next from the East.
North Carolina State is their only non conference threat.

2020 UM Schedule
UM should be favored to win 4.

Advantage MSU in future schedules.
Not looking good for the Rebels no matter who the coach is.

Anonymous said...

"Moorhead will stay coach at MSU for many years."

Would love to meet up with you in a gambling establishment.

Anonymous said...

How is Luke 'set for life' with a $500,000 buyout?



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