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Georgia Football OL Coach Matt Luke: Picking up Where Sam Pittman Left Off

Georgia lost a beloved offensive line coach in Sam Pittman. His replacement, Matt Luke has come in strong and continued success.

In the 2019 edition of the college football coaching carousel, Georgia lost an offensive line coach. These things happen annually, but Sam Pittman wasn’t an ordinary OL coach.

An immediate hire in Kirby Smart's inaugural season as Top Dawg, Pittman built what came to be known as The Great Wall of Georgia. He seemed nearly irreplaceable. Nearly.

Following Georgia’s appearance in 2019’s SEC Championship, Pittman accepted a much-deserved head coaching offer at the University of Arkansas, where he held the titles of offensive line coach and assistant head coach from 2013-2015 until being hired away by Smart.

Pittman’s position was quickly filled. Within 48 hours of Pittman's announcement, Matt Luke was on his way to Athens. 

Luke, a former Rebel offensive lineman, was promoted to head coach at the University of Mississippi following the dismissal of Hugh Freeze. He was let go from his position at the helm of his alma mater following a wild loss to in-state rival Mississippi State in the 2019 Egg Bowl.

Within the week, he arrived in Athens and hit the ground running. The primary recruiter of Daran Branch, Luke brought the former Ole Miss commit with him. The lengthy defensive back from Amite, Louisiana signed with Georgia during December’s early signing period.

Luke proceeded to coach in the Dawgs’ Sugar Bowl victory over Baylor, and despite being short-handed following the departure of four offensive linemen, displayed great enthusiasm in his first appearance in red and black.

With Georgia’s offense historically based on a power run game, Luke has his work cut out for him in replacing the draft-eligible Solomon Kindley, Andrew Thomas, and Isaiah Wilson as well as transfer Cade Mays.

Almost assuredly, the departure of Pittman played a part in each player’s premature exit, but Matt Luke just secured his first replacement in Camden County’s Micah Morris.

The seventh-ranked in-state prospect (as per 247Sports) plays his high school ball at tackle but possesses the frame and run-blocking ability that would translate well to playing guard for a power run game like Georgia’s.

Morris told the Bulldog Maven that the Matt Luke hire couldn't have been better: 

"Oh, actually, as far as the coaches change there honestly couldn't have been a better person to come in, then coach Luke, because that summer I went to a camp in Ole Miss, somebody who I sat with was Coach Luke for about an hour and a half, just me and him one on one, and we just got to talking, chopped it up, and I really got to know him a really well, and it was way smoother than most people probably know, with Coach Luke coming in as a replacement."

The next day, Georgia picked up a commitment from four-star running back Lovosea Carroll. Funny how that works.

Combine that with months of pro-Bulldog rumors swirling around five-star offensive tackle Amarius Mims and it would appear Luke has made himself right at home and feels comfortable in his new role in the Classic City.

There’s still a lot of ground to make up for, but so far, so good for the Dawgs’ offensive line moving forward.

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