Ole Miss has officially announced the hiring of Jeff Koonz as its inside linebackers coach. The hire was first reported by the Ole Miss Spirit on Tuesday.
Koonz spent the last two seasons at North Texas, serving as linebackers coach.
“Coach Koonz has a proven track record of success as a recruiter and defensive coach,” Luke said. “His coaching style and personality make him a perfect for our staff. As we complete our coaching roster, these changes have created terrific staff chemistry, and we are excited to continue our momentum throughout the remainder of spring drills and into the season.”
The hiring comes a comes a little over two weeks after Jon Sumrall left to join Mark Stoops’ staff at Kentucky. Ole Miss hired Tyrone Nix on February 18 to coach outside linebackers. Having two linebackers’ coaches on staff is part of the ripple effect of implementing new defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre’s 3-4 scheme.
Prior to North Texas, Koonz was the safeties coach at Cincinnati and eventually became the Bearcats’ linebackers coach. The hiring fills out a revamped coaching staff in Luke’s second season that will feature two new coordinators and and a trio of new position coaches.
