Auburn Tigers tight end Luke Deal will enter his sixth college campaign with even more responsibility resting upon his sage old shoulders.
The 6’5 and 259-pound tight end has seen three head coaches come and go during his tenure with the Tigers, and being a stable leadership presence is something he continues to willingly grow into.
“We’ve met for hours and hours, and days and days, ” Deal told reports, via Bryan Matthews of AuburnSports. “A lot of people don’t realize how much time you put in when you are trying to drive the culture. With the emphasis we put on it this year. It’s a lot more responsibility.”
You could say that Deal is well versed in rolling with the punches, and that’s a pretty neat, if not an entirely necessary skill to have. For a man who can hold a mean country tune on the acoustic guitar, Deal is also well aware that without the lows, you can’t savor the highs.
When you consider Deal walked through the door at Auburn at the same time as quarterback Bo Nix, you start to understand that he’s seen a lot. Subsequently, Nix went to Oregon, came third in the Heisman, and has even been drafted 12th overall by the Denver Broncos in the NFL draft.
Truth is, rosters change quicker than ever before in the college game, so Deal has been impressed by the willingness to lead and take responsibility which many new faces have shown him..
“This class, some of these transfers that have come in, they’re really impressive in terms of wanting to be leaders and moving towards that, because some of them , even the ones who played last year and now they’re trying to be leaders which is really neat to see,” Deal enthused
