Hot Board: Ole Miss begins process to replace Hugh Freeze

MORE: Freeze exhibits pattern of poor conduct | Prospects decommit from Rebs

OXFORD | Ole Miss announced Hugh Freeze's resignation on Thursday, and offensive line coach Matt Luke has been named the interim head coach for the 2017 season.

Athletics director Ross Bjork said the current focus is on the team and the season at hand, but RebelGrove.com is aware of mutual interest between the Rebels and two candidates to eventually replace Freeze.

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We will update this content item as applicable and bring you the names to know in this Ole Miss coaching search. Check out our first edition below and bookmark the link for quick access to the Hot Board.

Why it would work: The former Ole Miss assistant coach is considered one of the strongest defensive minds in college football. He had tremendous success as a head coach at Louisville, going 37-15 in four years and earning a berth in the 2013 Sugar Bowl. Strong left Louisville for Texas and struggled, accumulating a 16-21 record in three seasons before he was fired. Strong took over at South Florida in December, and the Bulls are the favorite to win the American Athletic Conference. Strong has never had NCAA issues and has strong recruiting ties in the Southeast. A source familiar with Strong told RebelGrove.com late last season he had serious interest in the Ole Miss job should it open.

Why it wouldn’t work: Strong just took over at South Florida, and frankly, building on Willie Taggert’s success in Tampa might be more appealing than taking over what could be an NCAA-depleted roster in Oxford. Also, would Strong be willing to jump again? Also, would Ole Miss be scared off by his lack of success at Texas?