Odom and Rebels coach Matt Luke have a lot in common. For one, they were born four weeks apart in 1976 — Luke is older — and both now coach the college program for which they played. They succeeded the coaches they worked under, though under far different circumstances.
That’s not the relevant common thread that links Luke and Odom this season. It was two years ago when the NCAA unloaded penalties on the Rebels for booster shenanigans during the Hugh Freeze regime. Ole Miss self-imposed a postseason ban for 2017 and the NCAA lumped on a ban for the 2018 postseason, along with recruiting restrictions, scholarship reductions and vacated wins.