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Oct 31, 2024

Matt Luke | Coach Spotlight

By: Chris Perry

Note: The following appears in the Louisville football gameday program.


Matt Luke is no stranger to the “battle in the trenches.” Even after his playing days as an offensive lineman, Luke has spent over 20 years coaching on the offensive side of the ball as an offensive line coach, assistant head coach and head coach before coming to Clemson.

The Tiger offensive line coach was born in Gulfport, Miss. He attended Gulfport High School, where he lettered in football. Following a successful prep career, he walked on to the football team at Ole Miss, where he played center from 1995-98.

After his playing career, Luke decided to jump into coaching, becoming a graduate assistant coach at Ole Miss. His immediate success did not go unnoticed, as he was hired by Murray State to coach the offensive line the following year.

After that one-year stint, Luke returned to Ole Miss, but this time to serve as offensive line coach. After bouncing around from Ole Miss to Tennessee to Duke, Luke eventually found himself at Ole Miss for the third time in 2012, as he was re-hired as an offensive line coach.

It was during this time that Luke’s coaching career took off. 247Sports recognized Luke as one of the nation’s top recruiters, as he guided Ole Miss and Houston Texan offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil to three SEC honors and the No. 13 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.

Luke was elevated to interim head coach at Ole Miss just before 2017 fall camp. Winning three of the last four games that year led to the removal of his interim tag, allowing him to become the program’s 37th head coach.

In 2020, Luke joined the Georgia coaching staff as its assistant head coach and offensive line coach. He guided the program to a 22-3 record and the school’s first national championship in 41 years in 2021.

After winning a national championship with the Bulldogs, Luke did as any reasonable coach might do after an illustrious coaching career, “ride out on top.” He decided to step away from coaching in 2021 and focus on spending time with his family.

“It was a decision that was about family. I really enjoyed that time with my kids and my wife. We are a football family. I enjoyed taking the kids to lunch, bringing them to weights and going to their games.”

After taking some time off, a spot opened at Clemson to coach the offensive line. Knowing Luke’s background, Head Coach Dabo Swinney did not hesitate to reach out. Luke was attracted to Clemson’s family atmosphere, and he ultimately decided that Tigertown would be the perfect place for him to continue to raise his family and coach football.

“I have always had unbelievable respect for the type of program Dabo ran at Clemson. The family, the faith and all those things came together with the right timing and the chance to be a part of such a great program and do something special.”

Luke officially joined the Clemson staff as its offensive line coach at the end of the 2023 season. He found success immediately, as he jumped in to coach the Tigers in the Gator Bowl victory over Kentucky. His offensive line allowed Phil Mafah to rush for four touchdowns en route to a 38-35 victory over the Wildcats.

With decades of playing and coaching experience, there is no doubt that Luke has the background and knowledge to help continue Clemson’s offensive success that it has achieved in 2024.

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