Sitting on the plane back to Baton Rouge from Auburn on Sunday, LSU junior linebacker Luke Muncie publicly solicited a bit of style advice.
Muncie asked his Twitter followers if he should chop his blonde, shoulder-length hair — perhaps the only reason LSU football fans knew his name prior to this season.
When he removes his helmet, a few strands often go with it. It’s a hassle to keep up his flowing locks, which Muncie hasn’t cut in two years.
As a freshman, he began growing his hair because he could, but Muncie also sought to mimic a certain vicious Packer with whom he shares a jersey number and position.
“I hate to say it because I don’t want my name to be the same as Clay Matthews,” Muncie said. “But I thought, ‘He plays outside linebacker. We play the same position. He’s a badass,’ and I thought that was cool.”
While that’s not a bad model to follow, it’s no longer needed. With four games under his belt as LSU’s starting strongside linebacker, Muncie is finally establishing his own identity.
Muncie wasn’t always a warrior of the trenches. The son of two scholarship Iowa Wesleyan athletes, football was one of many sports Muncie played growing up in Houston.
He called baseball his first love, playing on up to four teams at a time. Capable of hitting a 350-yard drive, he played golf at Klein Oak High School in addition to running track and playing football.
The gridiron became his natural habitat when an elbow injury left his throwing arm a shell during his freshman year of high school. Though he wasn’t able to compete in anything for six months after surgery, Muncie made a push and started at free safety for the football team as a sophomore and never looked back.
Klein Oak coach David Smith lauded Muncie’s range and penchant for making unteachable plays, as well as his fiery demeanor.
“He’s a hardcore competitor,” Smith said.
Muncie admits he didn’t have the “best coverage skills in the world.” So when he was moved to strong safety as a senior, which in Smith’s defense often operates in the box and comes off the edge, the combination of Muncie’s intensity and new position made for a better style fit.
“I love contact,” Muncie said. “…I love just getting my nose in there and making a play instead of sitting back. I’m a go-getter, and I want to get the ball.”
As ESPNU’s No. 26 prospect at the position, most collegiate programs were interested in Muncie as a safety. One of the reasons he chose LSU was that defensive coordinator John Chavis would utilize all of his skills, not just his finesse, and planned to play him at the second level.
Muncie began his LSU career as a strongside linebacker, then made a mid-season move to the weakside, where he played until this year. He made 15 tackles as a regular contributor on special teams while waiting his turn.
“I’ve put a lot of work in,” Muncie said.
He got his break just prior to this season. He was moved back to “Sam” in fall camp and when projected starter Tahj Jones was declared academically ineligible, Muncie was next in line on the Tigers’ depth chart.
Muncie has recorded nine tackles in four games, one for a loss. He showed off his old coverage prowess at Auburn, picking off sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier against the left sideline for the first interception of his career.
“I knew it was only a matter of time where he started getting to where he was playing dominant,” said junior middle linebacker Kevin Minter. “The guy is an incredible athlete. He’s smart. He just had to get the confidence. He’s starting to do that now, and now everyone’s starting to see what I’ve been seeing since he got here.”
Muncie has done all of that while battling a stomach ailment that had him throwing up every day during camp. He stayed in the hospital the night before Fan Day on Aug. 11, which he managed to attend after being released an hour earlier.
Doctors funneled a scope down Muncie’s throat Monday in an attempt to get a handle on the situation.
“Now it’s just trying to figure out why I can’t gain this weight back,” said Muncie, who’s 20 pounds lighter than when he reported.
As he awaits a diagnosis, Muncie feels good. He plans to continually improve and flourish in his new role.
If Muncie resembles Matthews from now on, mane or not, it’s just a coincidence. His “Thor” nickname bestowed by teammates can now be reinforced by his play.
“There’s more riding on it, and I love pressure,” Muncie said. “You put pressure on me, and I’m going to go full speed.”
