When Hugh Freeze unexpectedly resigned this offseason due to a scandal involving calls made to an escort service in Tampa, the Ole Miss Rebels were left searching for a new coach.

The school quickly settled on assistant coach Matt Luke, who had been with the Rebels since 2010 and also played for the school from 1995 to 1998 and had another stint as an assistant from 2002 to 2005.

Luke, a lifelong Rebel, has the full support of the Ole Miss administration as he attempts to right the ship ahead of the 2017 season.

Speaking on Sports 56 Middays in Memphis on Friday, Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork said when Freeze resigned, there was no question as to who would take over as the interim coach:

“Matt is the perfect fit for what we are dealing with right now,” Bjork said. “We knew we had to go to him, he’s a Rebel, he’s a solid leader (and) he’s respected by the players, so I’m excited to see what he will do.”

Luke will try his best this fall to land the full-time job with the Rebels. If he can put Freeze’s scandals in the past and have a respectable season, there’s no reason he can’t earn the job heading into the 2018 season.