Matt Luke excited to compete for championships at Clemson

Matt Luke speaks to the media Tuesday (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Dec 13 12:30:15 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – New offensive line coach Matt Luke had the itch, and the opportunity, to return to coaching last year, but none of the opportunities felt like the right fit. Dabo Swinney’s call was a different matter, and Clemson is the right fit.

Luke was introduced to the Clemson media following Tuesday’s bowl practice, and he said that stepping away from the game after the 2021 National Championship with Georgia was a family decision and taking the job with the Tigers was also a family decision.

"It's about my family. My wife and two kids, they're a football family,” Luke said. “The first year was pretty good, but then we started getting that itch a little bit. I really enjoyed going to the kids' games, and I wouldn't change it for the world, but at the same time, they missed the locker room and being on the field and the bowl games. So, we just sat down as a family and felt like it was a time.”

Luke said that he fielded calls about jobs here and there, but the call from Swinney struck a chord.

“And obviously, when Dabo called, I have always had unbelievable respect for the type of program he ran,” he said. “From the outside looking in, the family and faith and all those things. It all came together with the right timing. It was a family decision and one we didn't take lightly.

“I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for what they've stood for here. It's a place where I think my family will be happy. It's pretty close, it's in the South. It's in my recruiting footprint. I'm going to be around really, really good people. And we are going to have the chance to compete for national championships. When you add all of that together, it's a no-brainer."

Luke said he spent the time away from the game learning to deal with the pressures that come with the job.

"I think whenever you're a head coach in the SEC, and you're coming over and competing and fighting to win a national championship, there's this anxiety and pressure that hangs over you all the time,” he said. “To be able to step back from that and realize what's really important. You can still work really, really hard, but when you're at home, be present. We all carry the weight -- it's how you carry the weight. That's what I learned during that time."

Luke was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2017-19, and he was asked Tuesday if he wants to run his own program once again one day.

"I made that decision two years ago when I decided to step away that in my mind, I probably won't do that again. But you don't know the future,” Luke said. “My dad taught me to do the best you can do where you are and what happens, happens. We are going to come here and do everything we can to help Clemson win a national championship. That's what we're going to do, and whatever happens after that is what happens."

What can Clemson fans expect from the offensive line under Luke’s tutelage?

"We are going to be an o-line that is connected, and we're going to play together. I'm an emotional person, so we're going to play with emotion,” he said. “We're going to play with toughness. This game is made to be played a certain way, and we're going to demand that we play that way."