CLEMSON — Offensive line coach Matt Luke has been a boon to Clemson football.
Luke, who was hired in December 2023 to replace Thomas Austin, improved Clemson‘s offensive line in his first season, producing two All-ACC selections (Blake Miller, Marcus Tate) and helping Clemson tie for the national lead with six games with 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards.
Luke is also excelling on the recruiting trail. In his first full season, he has landed five offensive line commits in the 2026 class, its most since 2020. Next year’s commitments include four stars Leo Delaney, Chancellor Barclay, Adam Guthrie and Grant Wise and three star Braden Wilmes. Luke’s latest pickup was Delaney on June 4, which made him and Barclay the highest-ranked players in Clemson’s recruiting cycle.
“Coach Luke was a driving factor for my commitment,” Delaney said on 247Sports’ The Ultimate College Football Show. “We’d sit there, and we talked football up in my head coach’s office when he’d come and recruit me. He’s just so passionate about the sport and about coaching me to become an amazing athlete and an amazing person. I couldn’t have been more confident that he’s someone that can develop me into the athlete I want to be.”
Luke’s recruiting has helped lift Clemson’s 2026 class rank to No. 5 nationally with 16 commitments, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. It is a complete 180-degree turn from last year’s cycle that finished with 15 signees and ranked 26th nationally. It was Tigers coach Dabo Swinney’s lowest-rated cycle since 2010 and his smallest class since 2017.
Swinney acknowledged the rankings of his 2025 recruiting was an anomaly, citing his program had seven decommitments and it typically ranks around the top 10. Next year’s cycle is proving his point, and Luke has been a major contributor.
Luke, 48, was out of coaching in 2022 and 2023, citing a desire to spend more time with family, before Swinney reached out. He was Georgia’s offensive line coach in 2020 through 2021, helping the Bulldogs win the national championship in 2021 before resigning February 2022. Still, he carries a fiery and caring passion that attracts prospective high school players and resonates with current players.
“Win, loss, coming off a good year, coming off a bad year, no matter what it is, he’s the same person, and we all really respect him for that,” Miller said about Luke during spring practices.
Luke could make another splash, too. Miller, Tristan Leigh, Ryan Linthicum, Walker Parks and Dietrick Pennington (barring a medical redshirt) will run out of eligibility at the end of the 2025, and scholarship and roster limits are likely going to 105 with the upcoming House settlement.
With the expanded roster and departing players, Clemson can land another recruit. It hosted a wealth of offensive line recruits during its official visit on May 31 through June 1, including five star Darius Gray, four stars Ekene Ogboko and Carter Scruggs and three star Canon Pickett. One more commitment could complete Luke’s recruiting brilliance in 2026.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
