Blake Miller discussed what he’s learned from Clemson’s new offensive line coach, Matt Luke, and the conversation turned to Walt Disney.
According to Luke, a young Disney attended a carnival and wanted to see the merry-go-round. What he discovered was less than pleasant.
Some of the horses did not jump up and down. Some had chipped paint.
Disney evolved from a boy into a brand associated with movies and amusement parks. He had a plaque on his desk till the day he died.
There is no chipped paint. All horses jump.
“So (Luke) kind of takes that approach to the O-line,” he said. “There is no chipped paint.” Every horse is jumping. Everyone is running on all cylinders at all times.”
What does Luke’s Disney-esque merry-go-round look like on a football field?
Clemson running back Keith Adams Jr. reports that the team’s horses, each weighing around 300 pounds and standing around 6 feet 6 inches, not only clear holes with precision, but also jump all the way through the play, allowing the offense to continue. “Everybody’s more energized. They’re more hyped,” Adams said. “Coach Luke just brings a different energy.”
Luke, an offensive line coach with 16 years of SEC experience at Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Georgia, including a head coaching stint with the Rebels, joined Clemson in December with more than ample credentials.
But his passion—after two years away from teaching and spending the majority of 2022 and ’23 with his family—has made the greatest immediate effect.
Luke, 47, has been spotted moving and backpedaling directly in front of blockers in 1-on-1 drills, smirking with a whistle squeezed between his teeth.
He has been heard just as clearly, yelling “Hey!” Body presence and eyes! “Body presence, eyes!” as the Tigers practiced pushing hard on a double-team while retaining their gaze downfield on their next target.
“That’s something Coach Luke emphasizes with us, keeping our eyes in the right place,” offensive lineman Marcus Tate stated. “Last season, we spent too much time thinking rather than playing. Last year, we had a lot of new players, which was most likely a contributing factor.
“But I feel like Coach Luke encourages that. “He actually demands it.”
