UGa assistant Luke steps down to spend more time with family

Posted February 21, 2022 6:00 am

The Associated Press

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Matt Luke resigned Monday as Georgia's associate head coach and offensive line assistant, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

The 45-year-old Luke is a former head coach at Mississippi. He spent the last two seasons working for Georgia coach Kirby Smart, helping the Bulldogs win their first national championship since 1980.

'œAfter much prayer and conversation with my family, I have decided to step away from coaching and shift my focus to spending more time with my family,'ť Luke said in a statement. 'œIt has been an honor of a lifetime to be able to win a national championship with this staff and these players, and something I will never forget.'ť

Luke has coached for the past 23 years, including four stints at Ole Miss, his alma mater. He was the school's head coach from 2017-19, where he compiled a record of 15-21 before his firing.

Luke also coached at Murray State, Tennessee and Duke before joining Smart's staff in 2020.

'œHe has been an invaluable part of our staff and played a great role in helping us win a national championship," Smart said. 'œWe are so appreciative of everything he has done for Georgia football.'ť

Smart said he's now "working on finding a coach that will continue to develop our young men and build our strong foundation with the offensive line.'ť

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