Coach: Football Matters To 2020 OL Luke Wypler

As far as player-coach relationships go Luke Wypler‍ and Saint Joseph Regional High School head coach Augie Hoffmann look like a pretty good match.

Wypler is a 2020 offensive lineman with more than a dozen offers from some of the nation’s top college football programs while Hoffmann has already been where Wypler is headed, playing offensive line for Boston College before signing with the New Orleans Saints.

“First of all, what stands out obviously is how technically sound he is at such a young age,” Hoffman says of the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Wypler. “He does a good job bending knees. He does a good job with his pad level.

“He just really, really takes the finer points of playing offensive line to heart. The second thing is he’s just so athletic; really, very athletic. Obviously, that separates him from a lot of other guys.”

Hoffman says he “loves” the chance to work with a talented young man so willing to be coached.

“It matters to him,” Hoffman explains. “He’s constantly watching film, asking questions. He’s done a great job with his body. He’s up to 280 pounds right now. He looks like a grown man. It’s important to him. When you get that type of kid with that type of athletic ability and it means something to him, it’s a great combination.”

That combination also allows Hoffmann to throw more advanced techniques at him.

“You try to coach every kid differently because everybody isn’t the same,” Hoffmann says. “We had a kid similar to Luke a couple years back, Tommy Hatton, who was technically as good as they come, wanted to learn. We were able to do some stuff with him.

“Luke is along those same lines. Naturally, he can do some things that other people can’t, so you want to expand his repertoire, expand his game and keep him getting better every day. It’s easier when you have a kid like him.”

Off the field, Hoffmann says the sophomore is an honor student on the Principal’s List.

Wypler’s offer sheet currently includes schools like Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford, Florida, Duke, Boston College and Rutgers among others.

He was in South Bend for a visit earlier this month.

“He was pretty impressed,” Hoffmann says. “He really enjoyed his time. When you’re a kid and you grow up around here, you love Notre Dame Football. It was great for him to get out there and see it.

“His process has blown up already. It’s going to be hard for him because he’s going to have so many great choices.”