Interesting that a guy who couldn’t break the starting line up with UH, a G-5 could possibly start or play a lot for Texas Tech, a(cough, cough) P-5 school.
He finished the season as Houston’s top special teams tackler, and was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s top walk-on. When Tom Herman took over in 2015, he sat down with Luke, who expressed a desire to get back to the defensive side of the ball. He laughs now when asked about; yes, he missed hitting people. Herman said he’d be open to the move, and together they agreed Luke would take the season to redshirt and—surprise, surprise—spend time in the weight room.
“When I was 6, my late grandfather told me, ‘Always make sure you do your pushups before you go to bed,’” Stice explains. “I learned early on that the weight room is where you can transform your body. I really bought into that, and I’ve always tried to maximize my opportunities in there—literally.”
After Houston’s 13–1 season that ended with the Cougars thumping college football juggernaut Florida State in the Peach Bowl, Herman and Luke decided a transfer would be best if he wanted to play defense. So he followed Gibbs, formerly Houston’s defensive coordinator, back toward home, and enrolled at Texas Tech in the spring.
Luke: I would say my versatility as a football player is one of my biggest on the field strengths. I’ve had experience in all three phases of the game at the collegiate level and I’m confident in my abilities at whatever position the team needs me to be in to help the team be successful. Off the field, I would say my leadership qualities is one of my biggest strengths. I started my collegiate career as a walk-on at both Universities I competed at over the past 5 years and was able to earn a scholarship twice for both University of Houston as well as Texas Tech, doing so at Texas Tech after being voted for Team Captain which was a huge honor for me especially after only being on campus for less then a year for my last season of eligibility following graduation from Houston in the fall of 2015.