4-star OL prospect Mal Waldrep says he gets along with Matt Luke "very well"

Mal Waldrep was in town for Clemson's junior Elite Retreat.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Jan 31 07:00:02 GMT-04:00 2024

New offensive line coach Matt Luke has already secured two commitments following last weekend’s Elite Junior Day, and another top prospect is building a relationship with Luke.

The Clemson coaching staff and Luke hosted seven highly regarded offensive linemen among their junior day visitors last weekend. Two have already come forward with commitments, and Luke is hoping for more. One he has gotten particularly close with his OT Mal Waldrep (6-5 295) of Phenix City (AL) Central.

Former Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin offered Waldrep on behalf of the Tigers and got the ball rolling with him. Luke has come in and taken the recruiting relationship to the next level.

“I’ve only spoken to Coach Luke four times in total in person, but it feels like I’ve spoken to him a hundred times in person,” Waldrep said. “We just get along together very well. I like him a lot as a coach, and I’m excited to see how he coaches.”

Luke and Waldrep got the chance Saturday to talk some more as the coach worked his way through the crowd of linemen he invited for the event.

“It was really awesome to see that much talent in one place,” Waldrep said. “We were all talking with each other throughout the day like, we can definitely see ourselves here. It was just amazing to see that much talent in one area.”

Waldrep said he left the junior day event feeling very good about Clemson and what the program has to offer.

“One thing I would really take away is that Clemson sells itself,” Waldrep said. “Every single person on the visit had a very, very good time. It really gave a family atmosphere to it, and the message from the coaches was definitely that we want you to be a part of this.”

Waldrep visited Auburn earlier in the month. This Saturday he plans to visit Alabama and check out their new staff. After that, it’s kind of a wait-and-see deal.

“I’m really taking it day by day. I’m just not sure right now,” Waldrep said. “I’m probably going to take more visits and make sure that I’m really, really sure I’m making the right decision.”

Waldrep’s other offers include Tennessee, Colorado, Missouri, Florida, Georgia, Florida State, UCF and Georgia Tech.