Tag Archives: Matt Luke

Duke Football

ACC schools are evaluating Richlands OL Josh Hess

Richlands OL Josh Hess is receiving a lot of interest from ACC and SEC schools

In their three-plus years in Durham, Head Coach David Cutcliffe and Offensive Line Coach Matt Luke have built the Duke offensive line into a position of strength. The past two recruiting classes have brought in a very good group of offensive linemen, and the Blue Devils hope to continue that trend with the class of 2012. Josh Hess is a 6’7” 285 pound offensive lineman from Richlands, Virginia. As a junior, Josh played on both the offensive and defensive line, helping Richlands to  the state championship game, and was named to the All-State, All-Region, and All-District teams. Highlights from Josh’s junior season can be viewed here.

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

Personally, I think I’m hard-nosed, I like driving people off the ball, that’s what I do.  I’m a pretty good pass blocker, in my opinion, and I do whatever it takes to win.

BDN: What are some of the things you have been working on this offseason?

I dropped a couple pounds.  I’m down to about 285 right now, and I’ve just been working on my lateral quickness, and just speed in general.

BDN: What are some of your goals for your senior year?

I want to go back to Lynchburg and play for another state championship, and come out winning next one.  I’d like to make all-state again, all-region, all-district.

BDN: As you look at your college decision, what are the most important factors you are looking for in a school?

Education would have to be the first one.  I’m big on academics, and so is my family.  And then just the school itself.  I like football tradition, and how the football program’s going.  I’d like to go in and help a program out if they’re down, and if they’re a program that’s winning, to go in and keep it going.

BDN: Is there a specific academic field you are interested in?

Kinesiology, so the study of – it’s like athletic training, stuff like that, and how the muscles and stuff work.

BDN: Which schools have you heard from the most? Who were the first to contact you?

Duke, UNC, Maryland, Virginia Tech, UVA, Florida, Boston College.  There’s a lot of SEC and ACC schools.

BDN: Are you primarily interested in ACC and SEC schools?

Well, it’d be nice to, but – I mean, as it comes down to it, I’ll go anywhere that’s within the United States.

BDN: Have you been able to talk with any schools about scholarship offers yet?

Really haven’t talked about offers yet, but most of them are trying to get me down on campus, looking at stuff like that, invite me to a bunch of junior days and stuff, but not really talked about offers yet.

BDN: Have you had a chance to visit any schools so far?

I’ve only visited Duke, I went down there for junior day, but the end of the football season I went all over the place, I went to like Kentucky, Boston College, Duke, Virginia Tech, UVA, Alabama, I was all up and down the coast, pretty much.

BDN: Have any schools stood out to you at this point in the process?

Josh Hess led Richlands HS to a state championship game as a junior

 

Not really, I like them all the same.  All of them had different things that I like about them.

BDN: Do you have any other visits planned for this spring or summer?

I’m going down to UVA for Junior Day, and I’ll be at UNC after that.  And then I’m not sure about camps yet, I know I’m gonna go and visit a bunch more, I’m gonna go – Florida wants me to come down and watch spring practice and get out there and get on campus and talk to the coaches, so I’ll probably end up doing that.

BDN: Do you have an idea for when you would like to make your college decision?

I might wait until the right school comes to me, but I mean, if the right school does come, it might be before football season.  But then again, I might just wait it out, wait until signing day or after the football season.

BDN: Is there anything else you think is important for college football fans to know about you?

I’m a good student in the classroom, I’m a hard worker, my motto when I leave the weight room everyday is leaving thinking that nobody outworked me that day.  That’s about it.

BDN: Thanks a lot, Josh, and best of luck to you.

Sounds good, I appreciate it.  You too.

 

Duke Football

In-state lineman Jacob Ingle is receiving interest from North Carolina schools

Jacob Ingle is one of the top offensive lineman in North Carolina

In their three-plus years in Durham, Head Coach David Cutcliffe and Offensive Line Coach Matt Luke have built the Duke offensive line into a position of strength. The past two recruiting classes have brought in a very good group of offensive linemen, and the Blue Devils hope to continue that trend with the class of 2012. Jacob Ingle is a 6’3” 280 pound offensive lineman from nearby Burlington, North Carolina. As a junior, Jacob started at left guard and left tackle for Walter Williams High School, earning 1st Team All-Conference and All-Region honors. Highlights from his junior year can be viewed here, and more information about Jacob can be found on his website.

BDN: Can you start out by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

Personally, I would say more like base blocking, run blocking, just one on one, so that’s one of my favorite things to do, and just regular pass blocking.  One of my favorite things to do, I think I’m best at, is just one on one base run blocking, I would say.

BDN: What are some of the things you are working on this offseason?

Right now, this off-season, I’m just trying to get as strong as I can, get faster, same thing I’ve been trying to do every offseason, but the other thing I’m gonna focus on is just getting better, technical-wise, just to get ready for this season, so I haven’t really been doing it all season, but this year I’m gonna try to focus more on getting better with my techniques.

BDN: What are your goals for your senior season?

Well, I want my team to – we haven’t had a winning season yet since I’ve been here.  First thing I want to do is just one thing at a time, first of all, I just want to have a winning season with my guys, ‘cause just senior year, I’ll probably never get to play with any of them again, really just have a good time playing football, but I would like for us to go as far as we can in the playoffs more than anything, possibly win state.  I guess individually, my ultimate goal is to win all-state this year, and possibly further than that if I can.  Mainly I just want to have a really good senior season with all my friends from football.

BDN: As you approach your college decision, what are the most important factors you’re looking for in a school?

Mostly, I’ve been looking at how good schools are academically, and if they have majors, how good their programs are for possible majors I want to have.  And then I just look at the football team, see what the coach is and what the atmosphere – like go to their game, mainly just look at schools that have the majors I really want, have a good academic program.

BDN: You mentioned some possible majors you’re interested in; is there a specific field you are interested in?

One is exercise science, and also – either that or I want to major in music, something in music.

BDN: Which schools have you been hearing from the most? Who was the first to contact you?

In-state lineman Jacob Ingle is high on the Carolina schools early

 

 

This season, when they could first officially send out mail, I got my first letter from Duke, inviting me to their games, to check out and the other one being [North] Carolina, East Carolina State.  Wake Forest is sending me stuff, and I’ve got a lot of letters from Georgia Tech as well, and a couple from Nebraska, as well as – and a couple from West Point, I’m also looking at that.

BDN: Have any schools offered you a scholarship at this point in the process?

The closest I’ve talked about for a scholarship was at [NC] State, the recruiting coach came to my school, he told me that – I said I haven’t been to there camp yet, but they want me to come to their camp, and if I do good there, they said they’ll offer me at [NC] State.

BDN: Have you had a chance to take any visits?

Yes, this past season, I’ve been to games that they invited me to, and I’ve been to Duke’s games, [North] Carolina’s, [NC] State’s, Army’s, Vanderbilt, and ECU’s games.  Yeah, also, I've been to [NC] State’s Junior Day and Duke’s Junior Day, and I’ll also be at Wake Forest’s Junior Day.

BDN: Have any schools stood out to you at this point in this process?

Not really standing out, but honestly all the schools I’ve gone to I wouldn’t mind going to, but none of them stick out. I wouldn’t mind going to any of the schools that I’m in contact with right now.

BDN: Do you have any plans for additional visits or camps this spring or summer?

I don’t know which ones they are, but I’m definitely – my summer’s gonna be full of camps, I’ll definitely go to [NC] State’s, [North] Carolina, Wake Forest’s, probably Vanderbilt again.  I’m just gonna try to sign myself up for as many as I can without conflicting with any other dates.

BDN: At this point in the process, do you have an idea about when you would like to make your college decision?

I’d say probably the last possible second or day that I can make my decision.  Unless a school pops up that I really like, or if I change my mind about school and feel like I could commit there early, but as of right now I’ll probably wait until next year’s signing day.

BDN: Is there anything else that you think is important for college football fans to know about you?

The only thing I can think of is that I don’t think most people realize I like music as much as I like football, and that’s part of the reason I want to major in it.

BDN: Thanks a lot Jacob and best of luck to you.

All right, thanks, you too.

 

Duke Football

In-state OL Mark Harrell has an offer from Duke

Charlotte OL Mark Harrell has an offer from Duke

In their four years in Durham, Head Coach David Cutcliffe and Offensive Line Coach Matt Luke have built the Duke offensive line into a position of strength. The past two recruiting classes have brought in a very good group of offensive linemen, and the Blue Devils hope to continue that trend with the class of 2012. Mark Harrell is a 6’5” 260 pound offensive lineman from Charlotte, North Carolina. The standout junior offensive lineman has an offer from Duke among his impressive list of offers, and hopes to have a final decision before his senior season. Mark’s highlights can be viewed here.

 

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

Well, blocking is my strong suit.  We run an offense where primarily blocking, run blocking, but yeah, have good leverage, good explosion off the ball, good feet, and yeah, primarily run blocking.

BDN: What are some of the things you have been working on this offseason?

Pass blocking, I’ve been getting in the weight room, but during basketball season it’s hard to really keep up with that, but I’ve been definitely working on pass blocking, that’s something I need to work on because we run the ball a lot, but my offensive line coach used to play for the Panthers, so he knows what he’s talking about, and he’s teaching me a lot about pass blocking.

BDN: What are some of your goals for your senior year?

You know, keep the tradition going of another good, winning season, take it home this year.  We felt we were so close but fell short last year, but this year I want to take it back home.

BDN: As you look at your college decision, what are the most important factors you are looking for in a school?

Primarily academics.  Also, if I like the campus, if I like the location where I am, since I’m gonna be living there for the next 4 or 5 years, depending on whether I get redshirted or not, but that, and also depth chart, I want to see if I’m gonna have a chance to play.  But yeah, primarily academics.

BDN: Is there a specific academic field you are interested in?

Probably business or management.

BDN: Which schools have you heard from the most? Who were the first to contact you?

The first schools to contact and offer were – Duke was the first to offer, then came Georgia Tech to offer, then UVA offered, Kentucky, and then NC State last night, but other than those 5 that offered, I’ve been hearing a lot from Clemson.  I’ve also been hearing a lot from Wake Forest.  I’ve been hearing some from Michigan and West Virginia, and I’m also starting to hear some stuff from Tennessee and Notre Dame as well.

BDN: Have you had a chance to visit any schools so far?

I’ve visited Duke, I’ve visited NC State.  I’ve also visited Georgia Tech.

BDN: Have any schools stood out to you at this point in the process?

I mean, I like all of them, all said.  I’m not gonna try to pick any favorites, you know, I like all schools, yeah, just basically like all of them.

BDN: Do you have any other visits planned for this spring or summer?

I’m going down to UVA for a junior day.  I’m also going back to Duke, and I think Clemson as well.  Hopefully that’ll go well, but other than that, I’ve been trying a lot more visits.  I think I’m trying to go down, fly down to Notre Dame, see what that’s all about.  But other than that, I’ve been planning – other than the ones that I’ve mentioned, but I’m sure I will in the summer.

BDN: Do you have an idea for when you would like to make your college decision?

I’d like to pick a top 5 by the start of summer, hopefully, and then maybe make a decision before – early into my senior – high school season, but that’s in a perfect world, so we’ll see what happens, but that’d be ideal, where I’m going before the season starts, before my senior year starts.

BDN: Thanks a lot, Mark, and best of luck to you.

All right, you too.  Thanks.

 

Duke Football

OL commit Marcus Aprahamian recaps his official visit and senior season

Duke Offensive Line Coach Matt Luke has secured an impressive group of verbal commitments for the class of 2011, including Wisconsin native Marcus Aprahamian. Marcus is a 6’5” 300 pound offensive lineman from Brookfield, who committed to the Blue Devils back in May and will compete for playing time at offensive tackle and guard in 2011. Blue Devil Nation checked in with Marcus after his recent visit to Durham.

BDN: Can you recap your visit last weekend and describe how that went?
It was great. We got there Friday night, me, my mom, and my dad. We got to the hotel and we met some of the commitments, players, parents, and coaches. Then we went out to dinner and talked more with some of the players there and got to ask them questions. We got to go out with the players two nights and see what Duke is like outside of football. That was a lot of fun. Saturday, we got to see all the academic stuff, all the weightlifting and training facilities. That was pretty great to see all that. Sunday we had a nice breakfast, then me, my mom, and my dad got to talk to Coach Cutcliffe about Duke football.

BDN: Some of the other offensive linemen in your class have mentioned that you guys have stayed in touch throughout the year. Can you talk about your relationship with the other Duke commits and players?
Those guys are awesome. All the commitments are just great guys and fun to be with. They’re easy to talk to and just a lot of fun. It’s easy to talk football with them because we all just love football so much. All the players at Duke right now, I mean I know I got very close to all the offensive linemen there, just in one weekend, so it should be great to form so more bonds with those guys and just be around them.

BDN: Where do you and the Duke coaches see you fitting in with the program?
They were saying how excited they were about not only me but this entire recruiting class. We’re the future of this program. Coach Luke has been talking to me about playing either guard or tackle. Out of the five commitments we have for the offensive line, one is for-sure center, two are for-sure guards, and one is for-sure tackle, and I’m kind of the guy who can play guard or tackle.

BDN: How much were you able to follow Duke’s season and what were your impressions?
I was talking to Dave Harding, who was the starting left guard for them. He was my host for this visit and he was saying how much closer they’re getting and how much more pain they feel for the losses. He was saying that’s a good thing, that pain they’re feeling for the losses, because it just shows they’re that close to being a great program. The more pain you feel for those losses the better you will be in the future. We’re excited. It should be a good future for Duke football.

BDN: I know you guys had a bit of an up and down season, but individually you were named to the All-Area team, among other accolades. Can you recap how your senior season went?
As a team, I thought we did pretty good. We made it back to the playoffs after one year of not being in it. I wish we could have gotten more, maybe a couple more games. But I just look at it as great memories with all those guys. The new coaching staff that we had, it was great to meet all of them. I think that the Brookfield Central program will be great in the future, there are a lot of really good players coming up. Personally, I thought I had a pretty good season. I got knocked out for a game with a concussion and I was pretty bummed out about that. We had 11 injuries this season and I think that may have kept us from going farther in the playoffs.

BDN: What are your plans between now and when you arrive on campus?
My plans right now are just to keep working really hard. I would like to make an impact as a freshmen, maybe get some playing time. If I could start, that would be awesome, but if I get redshirted, that’s ok. I’m just going to keep working hard. Hopefully I can go back to Duke and maybe go to a basketball game or something. I know the coaches – Coach Cutcliffe and Coach Luke – will be coming over to my house for dinner sometimes. I should be graduating around June 12 and the week after that will head to Duke for camp.

BDN: Thanks so much for speaking with me, Marcus. I know Duke fans are really looking forward to seeing you in Durham.
Alright, thank you very much.

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