Matt Luke Hire Continues to Prove Beneficial for Georgia

Kirby Smart's hire of Matt Luke has has proven time and time again to pay dividends on the recruiting front for Georgia.
Matt Luke Hire Continues to Prove Beneficial for Georgia
Matt Luke Hire Continues to Prove Beneficial for Georgia /

Sam Pittman was commonly known as one of the top recruiters in the country during his time at the University of Georgia. He was one of Kirby Smart's first hires upon arrival in Athens. From 2016 to December of 2019, when Pittman took the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas, Pittman signed (4) 5-star recruits, and (7) 4-star recruits in just three full recruiting cycles.

And prior to leaving for the Arkansas job, Pittman developed relationships with Broderick Jones, Tate Ratledge, Sedrick Van Pran, and Chad Lindberg in the 2020 recruiting cycle. 

Pittman's departure would have been a critical loss for any coaching staff, especially considering the timing. He took the job on December 7th, just weeks before early national signing day. 

So, what did Kirby Smart do? In less than 48 hours he brought on Matt Luke and Luke has picked up where Pittman left off. 

He signed the four aforementioned members of the 2020 class, and he's making major waves in the 2021 class already. Micah Morris and Dylan Fairchild are both solid commits, and the recent flip of Jared Wilson back to Georgia is yet another sign of the recruiting prowess that Luke possesses. 

Wilson committed to Georgia back in November of 2019, under the impression that Sam Pittman was going to be his position coach when he enrolled at Georgia. Just three months later, he de-committed from the Dawgs only to be flooded with national attention and offers intrigue from the likes of Auburn, Alabama, and even Ohio State before committing to North Carolina. 

Though Matt Luke never stopped recruiting the Clemmons, North Carolina prospect. Now, he's back in the fold in the 2021 class. And Luke's not stopping there. 

We've been told by Amarius Mims' coach as Bleckley County High School, Von Lassiter that Luke is a recruiting machine. "No one is recruiting him (Amarius) like Luke is." 

And even though he's on par with Pittman in terms of his recruiting prowess, he's an entirely different type of coach in terms of philosophy. Pittman was known for recruiting massive offensive lineman like Isaiah Wilson and Xavier Truss. Luke's modus operandum is more about athleticism. Sources have indicated to Dawgs Daily on SI.com that Luke wants all of his offensive linemen under or around 315 pounds with a few exceptions like Chad Lindberg who's nearing 6'7 and Devin Willock who carries a similar frame. 

Power is in play, counter runs are being put into the offense as well. Which is something that Georgia did on rare occasions over the last several years. They have been more inside zone heavy than most programs in the country. The Wall of Georgia is still a tall wall, but it's no longer based on the brute strength and the 330pound average, NFL size offensive line. 

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Brooks Austin
BROOKS AUSTIN

Brooks Austin is a former college football player turned journalist and broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter @BrooksAustinBA