Matt Luke, 12 12 23

all right well it was my pleasure to welcome to Clemson to the smart family Media Center new offensive line coach Matt Luke he does not have any opening comments or statements or anything so we'll go straight to questions if yall can please identify your name and affiliation prior to asking a questions so we can start to get to know everybody that would be greatly appreciated so whoever wants to lead us off fire our away nice to meet you when you you took the time off from from Georgia you know time to kind of reset a little bit at what point did you say to yourself okay maybe the itch is there and I'm ready to get back into it yeah you know that was uh it was a decision for me that was about it's about family and I just I really enjoyed that time but also too with my kids and my wife they they're a football family and that you know so the first year was was you know pretty good but then you know we just started kind of getting that itch a little bit and in my mind I was just I just felt like it was it was time like I really enjoyed the you know taking you know taking the kids to lunch and bringing them to weights and in the morning and going to all their games it was it was a great time but at the same time they you know they missed the locker room and they missed being on the field and going to bowl games and stuff like that so we just all sat down as a family and felt like you know it was time and then obviously when dbo called uh I had always had you know unbelievable respect for the type of program that he ran and uh just from the outside looking in the family and the the faith and all all those things it all just kind of came together with the right timing and um you know just a chance to be a part of a great program and and do something special kind of eat during the season it's you know families come on Wednesday nights for supper and coaches if your kids have ball games you can go don't be here all the time was that part of it was that part of I mean I mean yeah that's part of it you want you want to go to a a great program and I think um I think that's what makes this place special and I'm again excited to be a part of that what from Carolina in Greenville um what should fans expect from you and when they look down on that sideline and they see you what can the fans expect um from your o line and from you as a person yeah you know I I think I've always been um just a guy you know just we're going to we're going to be o line that's connected and um we're going to play together and I'm an emotional person so we're going to play we're going to play with emotion and uh you know play with toughness this game's meant to be played a certain way and uh we're g to demand that we play that way and uh but we gota just it's been a you know a fast star I'm trying to learn the plays and learn the guys you know coach you know Dabo put the uh the names on their helmets for me so at least he helped me out right there but uh it's been a great start and the bowl game gives me a jump start the only way you build relationships is go out there on the grass and work together and uh we got a long way to go but I told him that after practice we we do have a long way to a long way to go but we're going to do it together and I think as long as we stick together we play really really hard play the game the way it's supposed to be played we'll be fine you have a newi is offensive coordinator here as well and Garrett Riley um what have you already seen from him and what did you what part did he play in your excitement of coming to this program about the offense and what he's done in his career already right well that's a good thing you know for for me I've kind of been in several different offenses I've been in spread offenses we've been in you know Pro style so just doing it you know fortunately or unfortunately as long as I have that's why I got all this gray hair just you know I've been in several different offenses but he's very very Innovative um they call you know they call him an aid guy but he's done the last four games what he needed to do to win football games with running the ball so that that's impressed me is uh how he is kind of molded and change to to do what he needed to do to win football games so I thought that was that was really good coach commanda pool with watch Fox out of Columbia just talk to Blake Miller out there with high praise for you and the energy that you bring here sorry this start even ask but what's the response been like with um the guys you're working with I think I think they're hungry I think they want to learn they want to get better and uh you know I I can't ask them to to bring energy if I don't bring the energy and uh and you know I think oine is uh has always been a special group just CU they they all stick together and they all they're all hungry they want to get better and uh we're we're kind of the only group out there that doesn't have a stat like our stat is the scoreboard and uh so I'm I'm just excited to get to work and again we got a long way to go but I uh again we're going to stick together and we're going to put the work in and we kind of get a bonus time you know working up to this bowl game that we kind of get some extra practices to get to know each other with the state um what's your thoughts on High School versus transfer board recru mentioned that you guys may look foral on top of high school guys right how do those kind of mes together yeah I mean I think I think you're always looking for high school and that that's the way this program has been built is you know you're taking a freshman you're building them and and this is about like the complete person you know with the Paul journey and all the things that they do here that are special but in this day and age um you know if there is a guy that can come help us especially if a guy that's transfering has got multiple years where we can develop him that's even better I don't think you're you know you're actually NE looking for a guy to come in and plug in play because we got good players but anybody that we can come in and develop I think that's what we're looking for Matt mark from wi in Greenville you mentioned some of the draw about coming to Clemson when coach weeny was in here earlier he said that you told him this might have been one of the few jobs you would actually accept to get back into football so was wondering if you could just expand on those thoughts about about why this felt like the right fit for you well I again the whole time I've been in coaching um we've we've always competed against each other in recruiting and just I've always had a a a tremendous amount of respect for what they've stood for here and to now have an opportunity to come be a part of it is really really cool and I I think um this is a place where I think my family would be happy um it's pretty close it's in the South it's where it's in my recruiting footprint where I've spent a lot of time time and uh it's going to be around really really good people and we're going to have a chance to compete for national championships so when you add all of it together it was it was a no-brainer Paul Tiger Illustrated come in you got recruiting on the road got this to to pick up but a transfer portal how does that add a different layer to your responsibilities just Within These first weeks yeah you know I think I think you got to really do a really good job of evaluating um for me the challenge is okay what do we have here you know I've only been on the grass with my guys twice so what do we have here versus what are we looking for and you all it can't be I mean you got to see next year but what about two years down the road three years down the road like how are we building this thing and and and building your roster and so I think that's the challenge for me is okay what do we have up front and how are we going to build that roster moving forward so the biggest challenge is knowing what we have and then how are we going to fix it and get better how's it feel to be back in it really really good I'm a little bit tired my voice I got my coaching voice uh uh back a little bit but it's it's been fun it's just been good to get out there and Coach ball again um like I said it's only been two practices but but even the meetings and the guys are hungry to learn they want to get better it's it's been good if there's one thing you can get across to the guys in this time You' call bonus time right um what is it what's what's that driving force right now just connection connection playing together like um if you know the guy next to you and you're connected to him and you know his why and you know why he's playing you're going to play harder for him than if you're just going out there trying to play for yourself so we want a group that's connected and uh and I really feel like that's that's so important in the o line room especially we don't want to be out there five pennies we want to be one nickel we want to be playing together Larry Williams real.com it's interesting to hear that it wasn't just you who kind of missed the field in the locker room it was your family as well like can you maybe expand on that some and did that surprise you it did it probably I don't know if it surprised me a little bit but the fact that um you know they they they missed that's all they that's all they ever knew and I think them the kids being in the locker room being on the field um you know going to the bowl games having the kids over for dinner um all those things um you know you miss that you miss that part of it and again the time I had was unbelievable and I wouldn't I wouldn't change it for the world but what you know the beauty of it was we had some other opportunities last year that we we sat down okay hey it's been a year what do y'all what do y'all think and so this was all us together it's not like a decision hey I'm ready to get back I'm going back this was a family decision um and it was it one we didn't take lightly um but again because of all the stuff we said earlier I think uh that's what makes uh it made it a no-brainer for us are they going to stay in Athens and finish out the school year the school year and then and then come y so what was it like you know sitting at the table and you go hey guys Davos Sweeney called me what what was the the boy reaction to hey I've got this chance to to go well y if y'all have children y'all know that children like I raised two kids the same way but they're totally different so so that their their reactions are different um but uh it was one that we just felt like it was time and I'm sure U my wife as much as she liked having me around the house she was probably ready for me to you know get out a little bit and start coaching but uh no we sat down and we just felt like it was time and it's not like you were gone a decade no no have have you given any thought to man I can't wait like I'm not going to rush Bowl practice but to put the headset back on and get down on on the field and that Gator balll setting and actually do what I was born to do is you give any thought about what that's going to be like um well so in 2019 I was fired at Old Miss and I came into a very similar situation coaching the sugar bowl at Georgia so I've kind of been through a transition like this before you're coming in you got to learn the offense learn the people you got to recruit so I I I've had experience doing this before and what I learned is like that preparation for the bowl game you get to I mean you know all the players cuz you you have to you got to learn you got to learn the scheme you got to get out there and that's the best way to build relationships is out there uh getting baptized by fire you're not just kind of out there you come out here and watch or whatever but it's not like getting out there and getting your hands dirty you you get to know each other better that way read did I guess a couple months after you um stepped away and you said it dawned on you when y'all were at Disney World you're about to get on a Harry Potter ride that's right having to make sure recruits can come to boing game was it was I think we were playing in Charlotte and they had some kind of new rule that recruits could come to a a neutral sight game so they passed that rule so we're all scrambling trying to get recruits to come to that game in Charlotte and uh so it was it was Cooper's birthday and and again um I think we all carry that pressure and that weight and anxiety to be a great recruiter to be a a great coach and a great father and that that two years off it really it's it's not about the weight it's about how you carry the weight and you know you can when you're present with your kids you need to be present with your kids and when it's time to work it's time to work and I think you know having that work life balance is the one thing that I learned that's really really important nothing against any other staff but do you think there's more of an emphasis on that you know I you know not I mean I I I really like what dbo is doing here but you know Kirby does a great job and you know coach cutliff did a great job and all the PE coach freeze I mean everybody is unique in their own way uh because the pressure really comes internal it's the pressure you put on yourself to be good at what you do uh but I but you know Dabo and the family atmosphere sure that's that's something I'm excited about my kids being able to be around you know the more the better Jason tigers.com going back to the portal coming in so late yeah yeah it's difficult because recruiting coaching parent I mean everything is about relationships and when I've been a good recruiter is because you you spent three years building a relationship with somebody um so now there may be a kid in the portal that maybe I recruited had already developed that with but it's very very tough because to me it's all about relationships so you and you have to build those if you want to be a successful recruiter so coming in and you don't know anything about a kid it does make it it adds a level of difficulty for sure John chareston I know you said you did this process once before in Georgia but what is it like in terms of not knowing the terminology and trying to get that translated so it's just speaking a different language football is football so it's the same plays it's you know it's inside Zone it's counter it's p you know the normal protections it's just what are we calling it what were they calling it how can I give my players a chance how can I give Putman a chance to win this game this is this is his last game at Clemson so I don't want to come in here and change everything for him I want to give him a chance to to win this football game so how can I marry my teaching and then eventually get to it if that makes sense that that's the challenge you want to give your guys an opportunity to be successful but there there is some carryover with the line calls and the terminology it's just me learning what do they call this and so that's and that's just me getting out there and doing it and again going to a bowl game actually going on the grass and practicing it you learn it much faster you say like 10% there 20% there like percentage I'm probably a little ahead of that you got to give me a little credit probably 30 maybe 30 33% let's say okay I watching you out there you you were giving it this and you you know hands on do you enjoy the teaching part of the game as I do that that's that's to me that's what it's all about it's about teaching it's about trying to get a young man to to reach something his potential like even further than he thinks he can go you take you know you take them and you take him to a place with relationships um and they know you care about them you can coach them really really hard so that's what we're trying to do we're trying to develop those relationships and as soon as they realize hey coach loose got my back then I can coach him really really hard and so that that's the goal is being that connected tight group that then you can then you could take him to that next level you mentioned those relationships and you mentioned somebody like will who this is this is it this is all he's got this is his last moment with hson football um how much have you already connected I mean like he's a guy that you know you kind of can't help a lot I you know so David cutcliffe Tommy tuberville left my senior year I was a senior captain on the center he left and went to Auburn David cutcliffe came in and coached my bowl game same same thing he gave us an opportunity to win and I never forget that I mean that's something I'll thank coach cup I mean I have that memory for the rest of my life so again just my uh experiences that I've that I've been part of it just it helps you when you go through something like this what what sticks out to you like what do you when you think of that memory when it comes up like what instantly hits for you so he calls me into my office he says Matt what do y'all call this play and I told him so he was going to call his plays but use the terms that we called it so I just so he called me in his office and we went through that whole deal and he was like have you ever thought about being a coach I was like no sir he's like well why why don't you come be a coach it changed the rest of my life so that that's kind of what comes my mind so different reaction people which one was really excit well I mean that they both were excited just in their in their own way and um they just kind of one wears their feelings on their sleeve and the other one's just kind of quiet but uh just they were they're both excited and they were when I brought when I brought the Clemson gear home they you know I was like you know probably don't need to wear it all to school the first day let's just kind of go slowly uh into it but they they're both excited they really both all they all they both want to go down the slide that's what they mentioned to me so we're going to have to get down the slide pretty pretty quickly I think so quiet one uh my younger one's more quiet than my older one's a little bit a little bit more you know gung-ho a little bit so Matt play North County right uh they do yeah okay uh and and Mickey Khan recruited over there did you have any pre-existing relationships with coaches here before coming over here uh so we had I had a relationship with Coach Khan Through Robert kimichi the recruitment he was he was the coach there so we had had a little bit uh there there's the church I go to um the pastor there was his first team chaplain at Grayson so there there's a lot of connection between north and and Coach Khan there's a lot of people that were there that are there now so yeah there's some there's some carryover and then dbo and I were at the ACC SC SEC Chick-fil-A challenge you know a couple years together so ran across them um Woody uh and Coach cut had a big uh you know they were they were close for several years at Tennessee so yeah there was some there was some carry over there for sure what did Deo tell you when he called you that he needed you to do to get this offensive line back to where no he he just he just asked me if I if he said he was going to um you know he had made a change and you know was I ready to get back into it and and uh and so I you know so I just I talked to my family it wasn't about hey I need you to do this he was just hey I think uh we can do this together we want to you know we want to do something really special and get this thing back to where where we all want to be and uh and again it comes back to that connected all working together and doing it together and I'm I'm excited about that opportunity there were some opportunities last year as you talked about it with your family was it was the message from you to them pretty much it's got to be the right opportunity and just exactly I mean there was no there was no need to rush back or or or anything like that it just needed to be everything location people that the whole the whole package it had it had to be had to be right and this was right you watched Clemson at all this season did you have any you know knowledge or um anything before you decided to to take the job uh yeah I'm sure I watched games I watched a lot of games you know in the uh in the time but yeah I'm I probably watched um I don't know two or three games I didn't watch every game but you know just like the I was the Casual you know guy at home watching the game so the big games and they were on TV I I watched it some so but not but not every game I wasn't like an expert so you know coming in um you know watching the tape and trying to get a feel for what we're good at and you know how what try to give the guys the best chance to compete against Kentucky so are you excited to kind of get them in in pads yeah I mean I think well I mean the game yeah the game's played in pads so that the only way you get better at football is practice football and so you got to go out there in pads and and get after it and kind of find out um find out where they're at was watching you coach few times you're saying body presence eyes yep what are those so um body presence is the inside half of a double team and trying to get my back half right through the middle of his body but most of the time you're double team you're you're you're double teaming to somebody so you got body presence on the down man but your eyes are on the linebacker so body presence on the double then eyes on the backer so that makes sense okay just obviously coach the national championship at Georgia what made that so great things you translate connection connection toughness and that's the emotion playing for each other um and it was a group that you know they've went through Co together and you know battled through they got close several times and then finally got over the hump but the connection and the toughness the mental toughness um you know because there's going to be a game where you get tested you got to dig down deep and you got to find something extra and it might um you know you're your why and why you're playing has to be bigger than you being tired it's you got to push through that and that's that's what we got to get to is there a preferred number of offensive Lin you like to have available to play or like in your rotation yeah we get 15 on scholarships I'd like to have 15 that would be the goal um no I mean you'd like to have you know seven or eight for sure that that that can go in there and play the game because injuries are part of the game and you I mean we we got some right now we got a couple guys out so the next man has to step up you have to build depth you will never go through a season offensive line and just have all five guys playing it just doesn't happen so you have to have guys ready to play that's why reps are so important we did a we did a period for 10 minutes after practice with just the young guys getting reps trying to get them ready like how many times can can they do it over and over and over again and U and the be one of the great Parts being at Clemson their defense I mean you're playing against a great defense every day at practice that's how you get better and U so I think that that's a big deal we have any questions for Coach virtually from those on Zoom uh yeah mat this is a yab with the associated here in South Carolina what welcome welcome to the state you when they finally when you finally figure out where your office is and get the football chops immediately kick right back in do you say okay this is how we're going to meet this is how we're going to practice does it all come rushing back like R the bicyc it it it is so especially in the in the o line meeting that part of but the X's and O's is but you're you're coming into a new system so what you want to try to figure out do is okay what can I do to help like you try to figure out the lay of the land and so what can I add to this so you try to figure out okay what do I do best and how can I add to this system because you don't want to just come in and try to go crazy you want to try to you know feel make okay this is what they're doing how can I help so that that's that's the process that we're in right now you know I was also going to ask you've been a head coach before do you still have aspirations that some today when the time's right you might want to run your own program again yeah that's a great question you know I made that decision um probably two years ago when I decided to step away in my mind I was like okay I probably won't do that again um but again you don't you don't know the future I mean my dad taught me a long time ago you do the best job you can where you're at and then whatever happens after that is going to happen so we're going to come here we're going to do everything we can to help Clemson win a National Championship and that's what we're going to do and then whatever happens after that happens thanks y anybody else in the room for Coach L was there did s way there had to be some kind of out of- body sort of like I can't believe I'm I think Neil mccre who I was talking to it might have been at the gym where you're hanging out with all the retired folks and you're like you're the young guy and just like all right this is kind of strange right can you sort of reflect back on that what it was like just when you're so programmed to be grinding all the time and then you just yeah my my first uh so the first spring I was off my my youngest son practiced with Andrew Kirby's youngest son and they were practicing I think up at the fac the football facility but they were having spring practice so I was D driving around spring practice taking my son to baseball practice I was like that was just kind of that was I think that moment your talk I was like that's kind of weird you know but um but again I I again I really cherish that time that was it was a great time and a time that we can't you know it it was time you'll never get back so it was uh it was really good for me but I think all again together collectively we just felt like okay you know it's time to to go back to work anybody else coach donon withon radio so how did you use the off time I'll put it to just grow personally I mean there had to be just just not a blank just not a blank period of Time how did you use that time to just grow personally yeah I think um I think whenever you're you know at the you know in that the head coach in SEC you're coming over and you're fighting competing to win a National Championship there's this there's this anxiety and pressure that hangs over you all the time to be able to step back from that and um kind of in your mind flip back okay this is what's really important you you can you can still work really really hard um but when you're at home be present you know there there there's a way to do that and again it's not we all carry the weight is how we carry the weight and I think that's what I learned um probably in that time anyone else joh the when you're recruiting guys whether that's a transfer portal guy or school kid right what are some traits you're looking for someone that you want to play whether that's physically mentally their background kind of things you look for um so again I'm going to initially identify him with size athleticism toughness I want to see them jump off the tape and we're going to we're going to build it starting there and then once we find that group then we're going to dig in and we're going to get to know them as people and try to build that relationship and then as you get to know them you'll know pretty quickly which guys fit with you and uh then you then however many you're taking you have a set number so if I want to sign this many I'm going to bring this many on campus and I need to hit on a certain percentage of those guys but I'm going to identify talent and you're going to see that jump off the tape then I'm going to get to know him and then we're going to build that relationship and make the decisions from there does that answer your question okay yeah anyone else all right thank you for your time coach all right appreciate it guys thank you'all all right