Georgia Tech Football: Luke Harpring Shares How Much Wearing No. 15 Means to Him

Harpring is wearing No. 15, the same number that his dad wore when he played at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech Tight End Luke Harpring / Georgia Tech Athletic

Luke Harpring was Georgia Tech's highest-rated recruit in their most recent recruiting class, but that is not how most people associate him with Georgia Tech. His dad, Matt Harpring, was one of the best basketball players in Yellow Jackets history, being named a first-team All-ACC selection three times, a third-team All-American in his senior season, finished his career as the second leading scorer in Yellow Jackets history, and also wore No. 15, which would eventually be retired. Luke is wearing No. 15 and that is something that means a lot to him:

"Yeah, I mean, he has always been super, like with me and supportive of all I do so yeah, obviously he thinks 15 is a great thing and I am following him in his footsteps and everything, but he also likes that i am trying to make a name for myself."

Georgia Tech has been banged up a bit at the tight end position and that has allowed for more opportunites for Harpring. He caught two passes for 36 yards in Saturday's win vs North Carolina and on Monday, head coach Brent Key talked about the growth that Harpring has made this year:

"Yeah, I think we have five tight ends on the roster. I think seven of them are hurt right now. So we're able to dig down deep in there It's-- that's pretty cool to see a number 15 Harpring running around on an athletic field here at Georgia Tech. He's a talented young man. He, you know, I almost said Matt. Luke is, Luke's very talented. Really excited we were able to get him to be a part of our program. We had him in camp for several years and really saw him grow up from a, you know, 6 '285 pound, you know, a sophomore in high school to, you know, now 6 '3", 225 pound, you know, tight end that he is, that it's very versatile. You know, I thought the coolest thing about him was he got in the game, and the game wasn't too big for him. You see a lot of guys get in the game and they have bright eyes and it starts moving too fast. It wasn't that way at all for him. I thought he played really well. But a big reason for that is that's why you get young guys and freshmen in early in the season on special teams when you can. Because you never know how injuries are going to happen down the road. Even though you might not plan on playing early on, everyone has to be mentally ready to play. I've said it before that freshman who play as freshmen don't act like a freshman. They don't. You can't come in and be doing what a lot of freshmen across the country are doing right now and expect to be able to play and have success. And I think he's done that well."

Harpring has a bright future for the Yellow Jackets, but he is helping them in the present and could be a big part of their offense going forward, starting with No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday at 3:30.

Additional Links:

Georgia Tech Football: ESPN's FPI favors Notre Dame this weekend vs Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech Football: Jamal Haynes and Luke Harpring Preview Matchup Against Notre Dame's Defense

Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets Receive Two Expert Predictions To Upset Notre Dame On Saturday