It Feels Like The Entire Country is Re-thinking Their Career Path, and Coaches Are No Exception
I want to talk about Matt Luke for a minute. Coach Luke is a former college coach who recently quit his job due in large part to anxiety and pressure. Luke was the head coach of Ole Miss within the last decade, and most recently won the National Championship with the University of Georgia as the offensive line coach. On paper, Luke was in a great career position. He was making seven figures as a position coach with a large FBS team at the pinnacle of the football landscape, yet he chose to quit that job this upcoming season.As mentioned in an Athletic article about his decision, many thought there was something going on behind the scenes, and this was a way to let Luke fade into the sunset without too much drama. In most cases, that tends to be correct when discussing college football resignations. When it comes to Matt Luke, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He chose to leave college football, and the more you read about why, the more it makes sense.We talk about the commitment that student-athletes have to make for their sport, especially at the DI and FBS levels. Not to say the other divisions are less admirable, but the economy of FBS football creates demands that aren’t seen in other sports. There is a heavy time commitment, and that commitment is shared between players and coaches alike. Luke would find himself missing family events, most notably his own son’s football games, and having to step away in the middle of birthday parties to convince a Georgia recruit to visit on a certain weekend because the team was able to secure enough tickets to add a spot.That type of schedule can wear on a person, especially if they’re family-oriented. Like any student-athlete we work with, coaches also have to decide what is important to them, and what they’re willing to sacrifice for certain opportunities. This may not be the last time Matt Luke coaches at a high level, but he wasn’t willing to trade his family for his job at this stage of his life. The wear and tear of constant recruiting and late-night schedules obviously wore on him over time, and I applaud him for making a decision that fits him and his family better.One of the interesting takeaways here is that, despite a nearly seven-figure salary, the stress and pressure from FBS football was not a worthwhile trade for coach Luke. Most student-athletes are making substantially less, if anything at all, so their commitment to any program or sport should not be taken lightly.
