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Matt Luke resignation sign of times, demanding nature of Kirby Smart’s Georgia program
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Matt Luke resignation sign of times, demanding nature of Kirby Smart’s Georgia program
ATHENS — Matt Luke’s resignation from his post as Georgia offensive line coach is as much a sign of the times as it is anything else.
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Are we going to get an article about EJ Lightsey and how he is doing? He is a part of the DawgNation family and if any donations are needed that would be great to know, or does he have to be a 5 star to get an article?
Yep, I suspect that Luke will take some time off and then eventually "get the itch" again to coach and finds something with better balance. In some ways, the coaches right below the coordinators have the toughest position in terms of work vs pay as they work just as hard (if not harder and longer) than the head coach but earn a fraction of the pay. Luke earned over $3M per year as HC and took a huge pay cut to be OL coach.
The one thing that strikes me as odd about Luke's departure is that it was announced well before we had a replacement coach selected. It seems like Luke could have stayed on, even if he wasn't doing much, until we had someone ready to name as successor, thereby providing a smoother transition. Perhaps we are going to promote from within, but if that is the case, then it would still seem like a good idea to keep Luke on until we are ready to publicly announce plans. Perhaps he wanted to be 100 percent done, or perhaps the program wanted to make a clean break now. Whatever the reason, it's a shame that he couldn't be "on vacation" for the time needed to get the succession plan in order.
He got a buyout after being fired at OM of over 15 mil also He’s ok.
You might be over thinking this… a very nuanced post… life and football aren’t always perfectly timed. I predict the Dawgs will be fine, despite Luke’s departure. The OL stands to be great in 2022, and a solid coaching replacement is likely to be found. Good luck and best wishes to Luke and his family—thank you for everything you did to help bring us a National Championship! Go Dawgs! 😎
Point taken, and I hope you're correct. It'll be great to see another strong year after the championship.
I think the grind finally got to CMR. He got out fairly young but of course now he has Parkinson's . I wonder how long CKS can grind with his own approach. How many years? What if he wins another NC or two? How much success and money is enough? "Just a little bit more, right" Hard to see him going at this speed for another 15-20 years. Maybe he will. If he can, he's one driven son of a gun.
I think major college football needs a Commissioner overseeing and developing new rules for modern day football and team operations. NCAA can't/won't cut it. A Commissioner could set rules/process that could, among other things, create a framework for all Teams to follow that would help keep these coaches from burning themselves out. No doubt, they are paid a lot of money but so are CEOs of large corporations. And while they, too, work a lot. Not in the way college coaches have to. WIthout some sort of uniform backstop of regulations to put a ceiling on the time required of coaches(see new "College Football Commissioner"), college football overall will suffer.
@reddawg1, why can't CKS keep going for another 15, 20 or even 25 years? Nick Saban is 70 and not only is he still going strong, he's still going strong as the greatest coach of them all. For some guys, it's just a mindset. I know at least for the next few years, Kirby won't be slowing down. However, I don't necessarily agree with the premise of this article, either, that Matt Luke just got tired of the grind at UGA. In my heart of hearts, I just don't believe Luke walked away from it all, at age 45, simply to spend more time with his family. At least I don't believe that's the ONLY reason. I just don't. If I'm wrong, apologies now to him and his family. But while we may never know the entire situation, I believe there's more to it, whether that be his own health, that of a loved one, thinking that maybe he should be in line for a bigger raise or title. Something. Hopefully, time will tell. Go Dawgs!
Saban may be the most driven person in Sports. Him and Tom Brady. Iguess that's how you get to be the G.O.A.T. Saban said the day he can't get his players to do what he wants is the day he retires to the lake and watches the geese sh#&.
Right. Matt Luke, all of 45 years old, had to quit because he wasn't up to the Kirby Standard. UGA is just too tough for him. Even though he's been a head coach at two institutions (really cushy jobs with lots of free time). Sure, Mike. Try selling that on E-Bay to a dimwit.
Once again, we don't know the whole story. You're spot on. Just odd, the timing and the process.
Did anybody consider that at age 45, his kids are at an age where they are playing ball and need their Dad's support and guidance (2 Sons, age 14 & 11).
I know, my Dad was at every practice he could possibly attend and every game. He taught me the game of football, baseball and basketball from the age of 3 on up and supported my growth in sports mentally and physically. That's what good Father's do. Fathers and Sons cherish that bond.
If I made the kind of money Luke made over the last 10 yrs or so, and I could afford it (I'm sure he can)...I wouldn't trade the time I could spend with my boys for all the money in the world. Some people don't have the "greed & ambition" card in their hand. Comfortable is good enough. Luke will always be able to get back into coaching when his boys graduate and go to college. There are hundreds of other ways for him to keep himself busy and make money, that aren't nearly as time consuming as coaching. The value of time spent nurturing his boys far outweighs another big contract. I know some people can't see it that way, because, either they don't have kids or they hold the "greed & ambition" card in their hand...and everybody knows, that card trumps everything else.
Respect the move from an honorable man and wish him and his family all the happiness and success they have coming to them. Hope we're hearing about the exploits of his kids in the "not-so-distant" future.
Go Dawgs!!!