By Robert Wilson
When Southern Miss hired former Marshall coach Charles Huff as its new head football coach, Golden Eagles offensive lineman Luke Rogers received some excellent advice from a trusted source – former Mississippi State and Washington quarterback Will Rogers – the Southeastern Conference career passing yards leader – and more importantly Luke’s older brother.
“I knew Coach Huff a little bit because he was at Mississippi State on (then MSU head coach) Joe Moorhead’s staff a few months before I committed,” Will Rogers said. “He left for Alabama before I signed but I knew about him. He is a part of that Saban coaching tree like (Ole Miss coach Lane) Kiffin, (Texas head coach Steve) Sarkisian, and (Miami head coach Mario) Cristobal. Also, Huff had success at Marshall, winning a conference championship, and had beaten Notre Dame. The biggest thing I told Luke was to hear him out and see what he has to say. Then if you like what you are hearing, attack it head on, come to work every day and prove to the new staff and earn some playing time.”
Luke Rogers – a 6-foot-3, 290-pound redshirt sophomore – did just that, and has earned some playing time, alternating at right and left guard and at center this season for the Golden Eagles.
“Of course, Luke would love to get some more playing time, but he loves playing for Coach Huff and loves the new culture and the discipline that he has instilled in the program,” Will Rogers said. “Luke’s quote was that he would play for Coach Huff any where, no matter what school he was coaching at. Luke is excited. I told him to keep working every day and keep getting better. It has benefited him that he is playing all three interior line positions. He can move around and help his stock. Luke is really enjoying it.”
Will Rogers has been impressed with Huff as well.
“I went down for a spring practice and I could tell there was a lot of discipline in the program,” Will Roger said. “Everyone looked the same. There was no one running their mouth, doing their own thing. It is all team first. It didn’t matter if it was study hall, winter workouts or what it was, there was discipline. The shirts were tucked in. He had 21 players from Marshall leave a conference championship team and come to Southern Miss. That speaks volumes. In this world of college football now with the transfer portal and NIL and look at me attitude, Huff has a disciplined team and that’s a credit to him.”
And that’s right up Luke’s, and Will’s, alley.
“We are just two kids from Brandon who work hard, love to play and compete,” Will Rogers said. “We don’t take shortcuts. I didn’t do that when I played college football and Luke isn’t going to either. I would be in the indoor facility working on my footwork (at MSU) and then when I had third and goal and threw a 5-yard out route for a touchdown against Auburn, all those late nights working on my footwork paid off. I hope he has learned that from me. We approach the game the same way. We respect the game. We aren’t concerned about how much money we have, how much fame we are getting, or how much notoriety we receive. Luke is excited to play football and wants to win and be a part of a great program. And they are doing well. It was impressive to lose on the road (at Louisiana Tech) and come back and beat Jacksonville State. Even though I am a quarterback and Luke is a lineman, we are both intense, competitive and confident. Give me a full week to prepare and I feel like I can lead my team against any team in the country. Luke feels the same way. He believes he can hold his own with any lineman in the country.”
Wyatt Rogers, Luke’s father and longtime Brandon High offensive coordinator, knows what it takes to be a great coach and has impressed with Huff.
“Luke is crazy about Huff,” Wyatt Rogers said. “It’s hard to get him come home because he loves it so much. He is rotating at right and left guard and some at center and playing about 25 snaps a game. He’s a redshirt sophomore so we are grateful for the opportunity. He started against James Madison last year and started against Mississippi State this year. Luke isn’t the most talkative person but I know he loves Coach Huff’s discipline, toughness, and commitment to winning. Huff is a tough love guy. I can appreciate that. He does things the right way.”
Luke Rogers and his teammates go for their second straight Sun Belt Conference win when they visit Georgia Southern Thursday at 7 p.m. Central at Statesboro, Ga., on ESPN2.
Luke Rogers – who like his brother Will was the Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Football Player of the Year as a senior – led Brandon to a 12-2 record and a MHSAA Class 6A runner-up finish in 2022. He led the offensive front, which paved the way for 3,391 rushing yards, an average of 242.2 yards per game.
Rogers – who started at offensive left tackle as a sophomore and a junior but was moved to center as a senior and was the rated No. 3 inside offensive lineman in Mississippi in the Class of 2023 by 247 Sports – graduated that December so he could get an early grasp on the Southern Miss offense and participate in spring practice. But things didn’t work out that way. Rogers suffered a back injury lifting weights with Will over the Christmas holidays and had surgery in January and missed spring practice, but was ready for his first fall at Southern Miss. He played one game as a true freshman, then played nine games, starting left guard against James Madison, last season as a redshirt freshman.
Rogers learned a lot from his father and brother.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned from them was that you never stay the same, you are either getting better or getting worse,” Luke Rogers told Mississippi Scoreboard in 2022. “I’ve been going up to the school to work out on Sundays and after school in the offseason with my brother since I was in the seventh grade and when he left (to go to MSU) that didn’t change, so I would say our work ethics are very similar.”
“Luke is a phenomenal player,” said Sam Williams, who coached Rogers at Brandon and is now in his first year as head coach at UMS Wright Prep in Mobile. “He was the anchor of our offensive line. Luke is a very cerebral kid who does a great job of getting in the right spots and executing. Luke is very athletic, so this helps him as both a run blocker and in pass protection. His versatility allowed us to do a number of things in the run game that you are traditionally not able to do. He has grown into a leader on our team and growing up as a coach’s son, Luke understands what it takes to be successful. He has bought into everything we have asked him to do since I have been here, and he continued to elevate us with his play on the field.”
“Luke listens, learns, and applies just about everything you coach him up to do during the week,” said Tyler Stanley, who was Rogers’ offensive line coach at Brandon. “He has great feet and understands hat and hand placement in both run and pass game. Luke is a leader both vocally and by example. He’s always the first one on the field for practice and makes sure the locker room is clean also. While his physicality is apparent on Friday nights, I’d say the most impressive characteristic is his knowledge and understanding of the game. By transitioning to center, Luke has the ability to check the pass protection or run to put the offense in better situations, and he did a great job doing that.”
