Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/755613
4 DECEMBER 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED W hen Cole Luke and many of his Notre Dame teammates took the field for the final time in their college foot- ball careers at USC on Saturday — somewhat mercifully — the secret was already out that this season strayed far from the intended script weeks ago. So much so that many of the Irish play- ers weren't overly in- terested in fielding the incessant but unavoid- able questions about what went wrong and if anything could've been done sooner to make things right. F o r C o l e L u k e , "bring 'em on," he no- bly said throughout this miserable campaign, "disappointment is part of life, if you hide from it, you're not going to learn from it." Instead of deflecting blame or mak- ing excuses, Luke always took head on any and all questions about this turbulent season. "You can't shy away from it," ex- plained Luke, the steady Irish corner- back. "Over this season, I've learned that you're going to have to deal with whatever situation you're put in. As a senior, it hurts, but there is only one way to respond and that is to move forward, stay strong and set this team up for a turnaround next season." With his IT management degree in hand and his football eligibility used up, Luke won't be around when this Irish defense hits its stride and rein- vents itself in the coming years. But Luke's absence next season shouldn't diminish his importance this season in helping his young teammates bet- ter understand the demands it takes to succeed as a student and an athlete at Notre Dame, especially through the difficult times. "I'm completely comfortable talk- ing about this season because we've learned a lot through it, we've im- proved and we've put a foundation in place for the future," Luke said. "The guys on the defense are grow- ing at a tremendous rate, and it's just a matter of time before this defense is going to excel on a national stage." And it's hard to argue. Since Irish head coach Brian Kelly fired defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder four games into this sea- son, Notre Dame's youthful defense showed steady improvement over the final eight games, climbing about 60 spots in the total defense rankings, in no small part because of the lead- ership, stability and production Luke brought to this unit. "Since I have been here, I have al- ways had older guys to look up to and follow in their footsteps," Luke said. "But this year they asked for different things from me, mainly be- coming a stronger leader. "Becoming more vocal isn't neces- sarily my strong suit. I prefer to lead by example, so the younger guys can see what I'm doing and I don't al- ways have to say it." And Kelly was never afraid to call on Luke, whether it was to lead his teammates at practice or cover an op- ponent's best wide receiver on game day. "He's not afraid of the moment, there is no question," said Kelly, who c o n s i s t e n t l y c a l l e d Luke his smartest de- fensive player. O f t e n o v e r s h a d - owed during his Notre Dame career by older players and bigger personalities such as former talkative team- mate KeiVarae Russell — a third-round 2016 NFL Draft pick — Luke always played plenty of snaps, of- ten more than 60 per game, yet, he never garnered a lot of head- lines during his time here. "Attention is not what I play for," Luke said. "I play to have fun, which I feel like as a defense we kind of lost sight of earlier this year. I've never been worried about the hype or talk coming my way." Luke was always Notre Dame's best kept secret, but he is arguably one of the steadiest Irish players in the last decade. Be it cornerback, nickel back, spe- cial teams or all of it, Luke was al- ways willing to play wherever he was asked to best help the team. He leaves Notre Dame as one of those rare players to never miss a game during his career — playing in all 51 — which includes 38 straight starts, dating back to his sophomore season in 2014. "I don't think I'm going to under- stand everything I've gone through at Notre Dame until I'm long re- moved from Notre Dame," Luke said in retrospect. "Oftentimes, you won't understand the benefits that you've had in your life until you're out of that situation. "It's hard to fully understand what these four years have meant to me, but I'm sure someday I'll realize how fortunate I have been to be part of the Notre Dame family." ✦ Senior Stalwart Puts ND's Future First UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com When Notre Dame's season went south, senior cornerback Cole Luke focused on setting the Irish up for success in 2017 and beyond by providing leadership and guidance for a youth- laden secondary. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL