FB Preview Excerpt: Cole Luke Leads By Example, Just As He Always Has

The following is an excerpt of a feature that will appear in the 2016 Football Preview Magazine. Click here to order your copy of the 160-page edition that includes player features, historical information, detailed position-by-position analysis, opponent previews and much more.

Steve Belles remembers it well.

The Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton High School head coach and former Irish quarterback and his squad had just suffered a second consecutive loss to open the 2012 season.

After the most recent defeat, which occurred in Dublin, Ireland, the same weekend Notre Dame beat Navy there to open its regular season, Cole Luke decided he had seen enough.

Luke cast aside his soft-spoken demeanor to deliver an important message to his teammates that Belles says helped transform a disappointing start into a season to remember.

“He led by example,” said Belles, a member of the Notre Dame program from 1986 to 1989. “When he had to get vocal, he did. … We ended up losing that game after losing the week before and I remember he called the team up after the coaches had talked and kind of rallied the troops and we ended up winning our next 12 games and winning a state championship with him.”

“It was definitely a great way to finish my high school career,” Luke added. “We did start off rough. A lot of people doubted us. But we faced adversity pretty well and we beat the team that beat us in the beginning of the season [in the state title game], so that was a great feeling.”

As Notre Dame enters the 2016 season after losing six starters from a defense that as a whole struggled to match its individual parts last fall, Luke is a critical piece. He enters his third season as a starting cornerback, and there’s a good chance his leadership will be called on for the Irish.

“There's no question he will lead when it needs to be done,” Belles said. “He's not one of those fake leaders, which is what I really appreciated about him. He was real and you knew everything that came out of his mouth was real and not just phony.”

Luke has quietly gone about his business the past three seasons and has been a consistent force against some of the top receivers in the nation. Because of his calm demeanor, his strong play was sometimes overshadowed by the boisterous personality of third-round NFL Draft pick KeiVarae Russell.

“I don't disagree,” Belles said. “That's how he was in high school too. I think one thing about Cole Luke, even from high school to college, he's stayed true to himself. He is who he is and he makes no apologies for it and I think it's a quality, if followed, teams would be better for it.”

While Russell is happy to provide an opinion on any topic, Luke is more guarded in what he offers — even when asked about the differences between himself and his former teammate.

“People think me and Kei are polar opposites, which is probably the case, but I'm curious to see how he would answer that question to be honest,” he said. “We're like anybody else on the team.”

Don’t confuse the laid-back personality with a lack of passion or fire. Luke is as competitive as anyone on the team.

“He always strives to be the best he can be at whatever he's doing, whether it's basketball, or weightlifting or covering this guy or playing some offense,” Belles said. “It didn't matter. He was going to do it at a high ability and he's a guy who was a perfectionist. He didn't like making mistakes on the field.

“He's going on his third year of being a starter there, so I think that speaks volumes in itself. This should be his breakout year in terms of leadership and being the last year he'll be with the Fighting Irish. I expect great things from him this year. I think even more so than the last two years.”

***

Luke is the nephew of former Dallas Cowboys safety Darren Woodson, although he didn’t choose to be a defensive back because of his uncle’s prolific career.

“When I was a kid, I played running back,” Luke said. “I really loved that, getting the ball. Who doesn’t? I don’t really know when I switched. I couldn’t really tell you. I think it just kind of happened out of nowhere, and I liked it. I remember [Woodson] would call me and ask me, because I played safety too, he would ask me how I like it.

“It’s just fun taking the ball from somebody, to be honest with you. Since then I stuck with it.”

Luke spent a good portion of his childhood at Texas Stadium watching his uncle. When it was time for him to choose a school, Woodson was an invaluable resource and even traveled with Luke on an official visit to Oklahoma.

“That was really special just to go through this process with him, because it was different for him when he was getting recruited back in the day,” Luke said. “Him and my mom were very big pieces of my puzzle.

“Back then, it was just different. Now you have so much that goes into it. I feel like back then it was just like, ‘Hey, we want you. Come get a scholarship,’ and that was it. It wasn’t like, we’re going to recruit you heavily, call you every day, text you every day, stuff like that. I think it was pretty different for him than it was for me. But it was a cool process.”

Even though his high school head coach was a member of Notre Dame’s last team to win a national championship, Luke says he was not steered toward South Bend.

“I had a lot of coaches in high school that kind of had a favorite for a certain team, like OU or [Arizona State] or whatever. But none of my coaches really had a big influence on my decision,” he said. “The thing that I liked most is that they were all there as a resource. None of them were trying to persuade me or anything. They were more just used as information.”

Initially in the recruiting process, Luke said, he was determined to find a school where he could play immediately. Although that focus eventually shifted to education, in Notre Dame he found a fit that checked both boxes.

“At the end I started realizing that football’s not forever, so I need something that can help me fall back on something positive and very valuable, which is a Notre Dame education,” he said. “When I narrowed it down to those few teams, that’s what stood out the most.”

Luke played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2013 as an immediate contributor. The next fall, he was inserted into the starting lineup once Russell was suspended as part of the academic investigation. He was called upon to contain explosive receivers such as Stanford’s Ty Montgomery, Louisville’s DeVante Parker, Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong and USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster.

As usual, Luke quietly went about his business and let his performance do the talking.

To read more, order your copy of the 2016 Football Preview.