Everything Clemson Stands For Matters

CLEMSON — Clemson assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator Matt Luke knows the grind of a football season, especially in the trenches.

The Tigers’ offensive line has endured injuries and growing pains, but Luke knows there’s plenty of resilience in the room.

“There are great guys in the offensive line room and on the whole team,” he said. “Even veteran guys go out there, and there’s stuff you have to correct, but that’s football.”

The Tigers (1-3, 0-2 ACC) had to adjust in tough moments, where small mistakes become larger storylines in defeat.

 “When you lose everything gets magnified,” Luke said. “You look at everything through a magnifying glass.”

Still, he emphasized the importance of consistency.

“Stay the course and go attack each day. That’s the way you win football games,” he said.

Luke, who joined Clemson in December 2023 with more than 20 years of coaching experience, said part of the reason he came was to help continue the vision of Clemson Football. Dabo Swinney has taught Luke a lot during his short time with the Tigers, especially how to handle situations like the Tigers are currently going through to start the 2025 season.

“You can tell a lot about someone when you go through a tough time,” Luke said. “The way he’s led through this has been incredible.”

That leadership is something Luke tries to pass on.

 “Everybody’s got to be on the same page, that’s football,” he said.

For Luke, family also played a role in his decision. Living just 84 miles away in Georgia, his wife and children are at every game—and he still gets to watch his son play.

“The ability to be a part of a program like this,” he said. “Everything this program stands for. Clemson’s always been a light.”

Luke said he wants to continue building on Swinney’s vision.

“You know how it feels. You know deep in your gut and heart,” he said. “When you come to Clemson, you expect to win championships. When you don’t win, there’s accountability.”

Luke knows that wearing a Tiger Paw on your helmet means something. There’s a way his players are supposed to look and play. There’s a standard everyone expects out of them.

“If you become too outcome-driven, then you start worrying about a lot of other things. There’s no magic wand you wave. There’s collective accountability.”

Luke, who previously coached at Georgia and was the head coach at Ole Miss, has been around championship programs and said he knows what it takes. He knows that his job is to make sure his players execute.

“Stay the course and go attack each day,” he said. “That’s the way you win football games.” 

Clemson will try to do that this Saturday when it visits North Carolina (noon, ESPN) at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.