Matt Luke looking in Mississippi for a prized offensive line prospect Mario Nash Jr.

Nash and Luke have the Mississippi connection that's only building over Nash's recruitment.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Wednesday, June 05 2024

Matt Luke is looking back to his home state for a prized offensive line prospect.

Luke welcomed one of his home state's prospects, OT Mario Nash (6-5 285) of De Kalb, MS, to Clemson last weekend for an official visit. Nash has cited Luke’s Mississippi roots as one of the reasons he likes him. The official visit was Nash's second to Clemson, and he got a lot more exposure to life around the Tiger program and the school.

“I liked the visit. I like the feel there, the coaches, and how everything is. I like the way they are really organized and things like that,” Nash said. “I liked the campus. It’s a pretty big campus inside of a small college town. Everything is pretty easy to access and easy to get to, and I liked that about them.”

Nash spent a lot of time with Luke, and he also met with head coach Dabo Swinney. They laid out their plans for him should he decide to join them next season.

“I liked what they had to say,” Nash said. “They are really high on me right now, and I’m high on them, too. So, it’s a two way street. If I go to Clemson, I’ll be playing tackle so he (Luke) can use my athleticism for me to get out in space and block and pull, get up to the next level with counter, outside zone and things like that.”

There was more to the visit that stood out for Nash than just what he saw regarding the football team.

“PAW Journey is a great program,” he said. “It helps you to become a man, a better leader and things like that. I feel like PAW Journey is something aside from football that can help you even after your years at Clemson. Something they said, when you commit to Clemson, it’s not a four year commit, it’s a full life commit. They’ll always be there.”

As for what the visit did for Clemson’s chances with Nash, replied, “Stronger. Clemson is still pretty high. They are still in my top five.”

Nash will take an official visit to Ole Miss this weekend, followed by trips to LSU and Mississippi State. He will wait until the season to take his official visit to Florida State.

I had the most amazing time this weekend on my first OV to @ClemsonFB! Can’t say enough about how great it was. The bar is set. I need all my Clemson fans to like, follow, and retweet @CoachMattLuke @CJSPILLER @CoachGRiley @adamgorney @MacCorleone74 @SWiltfong_ @ChadSimmons_… pic.twitter.com/2XxyfonrJa
— Mario Nash Jr ⭐️ (@BigNash_77) June 3, 2024