Matt Luke on Clemson O-line standouts, culture and motivation with Georgia opener

this point in the summer uh you know good I think uh you know they're coming off of uh coming off Spring and now we call this the transformational phase where they're running lifting uh changing their bodies and uh but so far everything's been really good U they had a great first you know first session of Summer and now after July 4th kind of second second summer then kind of ramping up into fall camp but um just kind of really pleased with they are Body Weight Wise uh they all came back in shape after the 4th of July so that's something that excited and and uh shoot got got some got some competitions at some spots which is good and got some guys that are coming back off of injuries which is good some older guys that have played and are back off injury so good to have those guys back and just being leaders uh there there's some player only practices where we can't be out there but it's good to have some experience to help out those younger guys get yeah 15 I want yeah yeah that's that that's that's what I want uh but we we no we have a lot of guys that have play played so I'd say you know comfortably uh seven or eight guys I feel like comfortable putting in the game um and you know guys that have had had some experience so that's a good thing you anticip pretty good comp absolutely you know Ryan Lum left the spring as the starter uh but but uh having um you know getting Walker Parks back in Fall Camp will free up Harris and Trent to both kind of push there I'd say um you know Harris is is is trying to push for that push for that spot but I think uh compet ition will make them both better and then you know anytime you're going into a first game like we are I think practicing against the defense that we practice against really helps you and gives you confidence going in knowing hey okay if we can go out there in the scrimmage and hold up we can really have real confidence not fake confidence but real confidence going into that first game can you give us an update on Walker and just sort of his road has been quite yeah and and that that that one's tough on me because I I didn't get to coach him in the bowl game uh and then and then he didn't he he was out there a little bit in Endo you know but not anything in the team rips but uh his his weight is back he's back over 300 lb he looks really good he's able to do all the running and he's been been full speed and all the weightlifting so uh I think just having his experience and his toughness but even when he wasn't in there he was back behind me coaching and talking to the younger players and just you know being around along having a guy like that and his his mentality and his toughness really really helps so having him back out there for fall Camp will be uh uh it will be good but we actually see where we are probably you know seven or eight practices in talked a lot last season about quy coming in first as offensive coordinator and the whole you know offense having to learn a new system um you know just the the the language and everything with that for a coach like you though a position coach what's that like for you yeah it it's it's uh it's semantics it's learning the language because uh all these schemes at one point or another I've run before you know it's just it's it's learning the terminology and uh and the and the best way to get it across learning the personalities of your players you you know you can't treat every player the same you have to learn what makes each one of those guys tick and figure out how to press that button and motivate those guys so I think that's it's more about learning the the personalities of the players and then learning the language and being able to articulate that awesome awesome the other you know I think one of the best decisions was coming in that bowl game because the the best way to get to know somebody is to get thrown in a tough situation to get thrown into the fire have to coach them have to be in there making adjustments that's how you get to know people and I think um having that really helped going into the spring because you already had a little bit of a base as opposed to just coming in right before the spring so I think U you know the the bowl game was tough just because you're learning on the Fly you're you know you have really a week to get ready to go but but I do think it paid dividends in the spring have already built a base of a relationship with the guys last year they did some mixing and matching on left side Tristan and Colin how long did it take I guess during the Spring before it solidified your mind okay Tristan's my gu yeah I I think I think Colin Colin is unique because he's such a good athlete uh he he he he is probably the best athlete of everybody on the line he can do so many different things um you know probably besides Center he can play every position so it gives it gives me some flexibility to play him in a lot of different spots he started guarded the B game but he's also a good enough athlete to go out there it's played games on the Edge at tackle so uh you know injuries are a part of the game and they're going to happen so to have guys that can play multiple positions I think is critical I guess in the spring the guys were talking about your Walt Disney quote like no chimp jump where did you learn that and kind of like how do you reinforce that yeah so so uh David cutcliffe uh told me that story long long time ago and it was just always a vivid uh picture to me about everybody doing their part and if everybody if you don't have any chip paint everybody's playing hard uh everybody all the horses are jumping like to me it's a very Vivid picture uh of what it's supposed to look like and and and I just I want to have a offensive line when they walk out there and everybody watches us play that that they're finishing the way they're supposed to finish that they're playing a certain way this game is meant to be played a certain way and I want to see our guys do that and uh because to to finish a play requires zero effort to go out there and play as hard as you can and say man the Clemson o line plays hard like that that requires zero effort and that's what I want our guys to play that way because I think you can ignite the whole sideline uh you can ignite the whole the whole stadium you know when the when the pile kind of is stopped and all the o line comes and pushes the pile and then everybody starts cheering that that to me is what is what it's all about that's what playing offensive Line's about guess how much did you yourself thought you been coached last season the whole season go back and watch all the games from last year and and what I had to do that try to learn the offense so and what were some of the things you noticed from the offensive line you feel like are points that really have to improve to take it other well I you know I I didn't I didn't really I I was watching it to learn the offense um you know I was using the spring to to try to mold and create and really create confidence and a little bit of a Swagger and an edge that that you have to have to play uh at this level and so that that was my biggest is is to instill confidence in these guys say look you're going against a defense that's really really good and if you can if you can do this against them you can do this against anybody so that was really my M my main mindset was creating a a standard of effort and toughness and then creating that confidence to say okay hey let we can do this let's go do it and so that that was really my mindset coming into the spring Matt you kind of you kind of parachuted in here in early December and we're thrown into what's going going on now these few months do you feel like hey you know I'm back to do I like doing this part of things I like because a head coach situation is completely different correct right have you got yourself back in mode of like I like this part and this is what and and that well that that's why that's why I'm here because I do I do like this part like I love the relationships I love building I love being in that o line room uh with those with the relationships and just the building and help taking a a young man to where he doesn't even think he could be go like that's what that's the part I enjoy I enjoy the locker room the yesterday it was the first day back in the office the come r with the staff that's that's the part that I really miss and that's the part that you love that's then that's that's what college football is and and and just to be part of of this Clemson culture like everybody talks about they have all these key words and phrases about Clemson and their culture but it's real and it's it's fun to be a part of it a friend of a friend from Mississippi told me that they couldn't believe that uh that you were that took this job went back in the cook said no way you'll go back to um can you just take us back to you know that time when you know what what what started that inch for you and and when when contacted you like what what went into that yeah I mean just uh you know being out I think uh you get you get a couple calls and you're like no I don't want to do this no but there was something when when dbo called me I was there was a pause and I was like you know what that's a if I'm going to do it that's the place I want to do it and uh I'm just I'm excited I just I enjoy being a part of this culture and I and I just really want to help get um this thing going you know back CU they they've been really good I think that that people paint the narrative oh they haven't they've been really really good there's been a long sustained period of success but I just want to kind of come in and try to try to provide maybe that little 1% that can help get them you know a little bit better were some of the younger guys that people might not be talking about right now that stood out and could factor in for playing time yeah so I think I think uh you know people you know Colin and Harris are both really young but they they got thrust into some playing time because of injuries so I think those guys having that experience will help um but but some of the Freshman coming in like people haven't talked about dietr Reed I mean dietr Pennington and Ian Reed like that those guys um I think will have a chance to to to compete for some playing time and then uh Watson young was coming off a knee injury he's had a great summer he looks great right now he's running so he'll be full speed when it comes Mason Wade uh he he had a good spring then Elijah Herman is like 315 lbs right now and he looks great super athlete uh saw him dunk a basketball I was like yep we need to take that guy uh so just a just a super super athlete so I think some of those young guys those those just a name a few you yeah I think I think Dietrich just getting his body weight right and getting to where he can play hard all the time I don't think uh the athleticism he's like 340 something pounds at 24% body fat so he's really uh a a specimen but just trying to get his his body U to a point where he can play hard for a sustained period of time and uh I think he could really help us if he does that you might have been asked us already how's carks doing in his recovery yeah he's he's doing good I you know that that one's a tough one for me just because I didn't I didn't get him uh in the bowl game or spring practice but uh right now he looks as good as he's looked since I've been here he's full speed running full speed in the weight room so like I I told somebody earlier that probably you know five or six practice is in to fall Camp you'll you'll really know a lot more know your week one opponent yeah what's the going to be like plan Geor you know relationship is good it's just obviously it's it's about the players on the field against a really really good opponent I think the positive is I think the motivation to prepare all summer when you know you have an opponent like that I think is uh I think is good so it helps you prepare with that edge and and you know what it's going to take and uh and I think I think you know playing a opponent like that you find out a lot about your football team early uh and and how it's going to look talking coing style let's say somebody that isn't too familiar how would you describe your coaching style Mak your person yeah you know I uh I'm a people person I enjoy I enjoy that part but I would say passion energy um that that's that's uh to me I can't ask those guys to bring it unless I bring so hopefully when people see me on the field they see they see energy they see enthusiasm they see they see somebody that loves that loves coaching and loves being around the guys how much you think culture there's a lot ofes what is the phrase that have resonated with you the most that you think is most true I would say real I would say that from the outside looking in you're like man is that really real is you know can they really do that and I'm and and being here uh I would say 100% real and authentic and uh not being scared to do it the way that that you've done it and and and and to have that sustained period of success like it's unbelievable what what Dao has accomplished and I'm just I'm excited to be a part of it and trying to get it back to where we all want it to be