The Ole Miss Rebels need to improve their defense if they want to compete at a high level in the SEC in the coming years.

Under new coach Matt Luke, who had the interim label removed from his title this offseason, new hires on the defensive side of the ball will be critical.

On Monday night, the school announced the hire of a new linebackers coach in Jon Sumrall, who has been with Troy the past three years.

According to a release from the school, Luke said he’s been impressed with Sumrall’s body of work over the past few years:

“Coach Sumrall became a defensive coordinator at a young age and has led turnarounds on that side of the ball everywhere he has been,” Luke said. “He is a relentless recruiter and gets the very best out of his players. His passion, energy and toughness make him a great fit for our staff, and we can’t wait to get him on campus.”

Sumrall also has stops at Kentucky, San Diego and Tulane on his resume, and was a three-year letterman at Kentucky during his playing days.

His linebacking corps needs a lot of work, but Sumrall has worked with talented defenses everywhere he’s been, so it’ll be interesting to see how the unit fares this year.