I just wasn’t what they were looking for. Utah and BYU, same thing. – Luke Falk on working out for USU coach Matt Wells
SALT LAKE CITY — It’s no easy task to judge talent, which is why every college coach in America has badly misjudged a recruit, but this one was a doozy. How did Luke Falk escape virtually every coach’s notice? They could’ve gotten him for a steal; instead, they let him walk (on) elsewhere.
BYU and Utah coaches weren’t interested. Even the college coach in Falk’s hometown missed the mark. Falk drove just a few miles from his home in Logan to throw passes for Utah State coach Matt Wells in a brief audition.
“I just wasn’t what they were looking for,” says Falk. “Utah and BYU, same thing.”
This was Decca telling the Beatles they had no future in show business; this was the publisher rejecting J.K. Rowling and telling her she should take a writing class; this was the concert hall manager who told Elvis he should consider driving trucks for a living.
The coaches who whiffed on Falk can take comfort in one thing: everyone missed on this kid. Florida State offered him a scholarship early in his high school career and then withdrew it. Idaho also offered and withdrew.
“I told a lot of (college) coaches about him,” says Mike Favero, who was Falk’s coach and mentor at Logan High.
Falk is the underdog story of college football. Four years ago he took a job with a catering service and walked on at Washington State. Here he is now, a three-year starting quarterback in the Pac-12, a Heisman candidate, a projected NFL first-round draft pick, and one of the most prolific quarterbacks ever.
Since taking the starting job the final three games of his freshman season, the 6-foot-4 Falk has thrown for 10,888 yards, 89 touchdowns and 26 interceptions, completing 68 percent of his passes and averaging 7.2 yards per attempt. If he matches his performances of either of the last two seasons, he will rank fifth on the NCAA’s all-time list in yardage and sixth in touchdown passes.
If coaches missed on Falk, it’s at least partly because he took a complicated, circuitous route to reach college football. His parents moved their family several times to pursue opportunities for their children — a singing career for their daughters, a football career for their son. The family’s story was told on a CNN series called, “Extreme Parenting.”
The Falks were living in Farmington when Luke's father, Mike, contacted Favero to teach his son’s little league team the spread offense. Luke, who was in the seventh grade at the time, began working with Favero privately. “He was very gifted — already,” says the coach. Two years later the family moved to Logan to live near Favero and play for him at Logan High.
Luke became the starting quarterback for Logan, but midway through his sophomore year, shortly after the football season, the Falks moved to California to boost their children’s budding careers. The move enabled Luke to work more closely with California-based quarterback guru Steve Clarkson and play for Oaks Christian School, an expensive private school and football powerhouse near Los Angeles. It also placed his sisters, aspiring country singers Alexa and Natalee, in the heart of the music industry.
The move did not go well on any level. Three weeks after the move to California, Falk’s mother, Analee, and his sisters returned to Utah. Luke wanted to return as well, but his father convinced him to stay.
“It was a little too big for me,” Falk told the Seattle Times’ Stefanie Loh. “I (was around) people driving BMWs and Porsches. I’m used to 1989 Ford pickup trucks that barely get to school working. I guess I was a little starstruck going there … it didn’t fit me.”
Falk started the first two games, and then was benched, but that seemed to be the least of his problems. His parents were taking turns staying with Luke and there were times when he lived alone. Then Mike and Analee separated. Less than a month into the football season, Luke also returned to Utah.
“It was a difficult time for my family,” says Falk. “My parents split up. We moved back to Logan to get the family back together.”
Falk was ruled ineligible to play football at Logan High per the state transfer rule, and he spent the remainder of his junior season serving as an unofficial graduate assistant coach for Favero. He filmed games, broke down film, and on Wednesday mornings he and Favero would meet over bagels to talk football and study film. For Falk, it was an advanced class in reading and attacking defenses.
“It was awesome,” says Falk. “(Coach Favero) is one of the best blessings of my life.”
Falk returned to the field for his senior season, throwing for 3,618 yards and 36 touchdowns, setting state records for pass attempts (562) and pass completions (330).
He was a great player,” says Favero. “Very passionate about being the best. Very driven. A relentless worker. Very comprehensive — practice, film, weights, diet, sleep, preparation.”
And yet virtually no college coach came calling. The transfer to California and the lost junior season killed his college recruitment. For some coaches, the entire episode was a giant red flag. Southern Utah, Cornell and Idaho were interested, but Idaho withdrew its offer after a coaching change.
“It’s what (college coaches) do for a living (evaluating talent), but it’s not an exact science,” says Favero. “A number of them said he’s not good enough. A lot of them.”
(Favero told Sports Illustrated, “No one would touch him … I kept hearing nobody wants this kid. Well, why not; he has Division I talent and his character is a 10.”)
Falk committed to play for Cornell, but the school’s coach left for the Canadian Football League. “It was like a sign from God,” says Falk. “I didn’t want to be stuck up there wondering why I didn’t go for my dream. I felt I could play at (the D-I) level.”
He sent video to Washington State. Assistant coach David Yost made a home visit and watched Falk play basketball for Logan. WSU head coach Mike Leach, renowned for producing prolific offenses and quarterbacks, invited Falk to join the team as a preferred walk-on. A little more than a year later — after redshirting his first year — he was the school’s starting quarterback. With Falk on the field, the Cougars have produced 9-4 and 8-5 records the last two seasons after 11 seasons without a winning record.
“Coach Leach said I would be given an equal opportunity to compete,” says Falk. “He was true to his word. I’ll be forever grateful to him.”
There was some speculation that Falk would forgo his senior year to declare for the NFL draft, but he returned for an encore season. “I wanted to play one more year for Coach Leach and finish with this great staff,” he says. “I like it here. This feels like Logan to me.”
Falk continues to remain close to Favero — they talk at least weekly on the phone — and looks back on his return to Logan as “the best thing that happened to me. I fit in there. I met my best friends. I couldn’t have asked for a better high school experience or coaches. I owe a lot to (Favero). He got me into football. I liked basketball a lot more than football till I played in his offense. He still helps me today.”
As Favero noted, Falk continues to take a comprehensive approach to the game, whether it’s his diet (with a few caveats — “I’m 22; I’m still going to have a pizza.”) — doses of essential oils — he sniffs Frankincense on the sideline before each possession — or emulating his hero and model, Tom Brady, who, like Falk, was an afterthought as a sixth-round pick (“I admire his play. He was an underdog, but he believed in himself and had great support.”).
Looking back on his family life and his sometimes-tumultuous formative years, Falk says, “I’m grateful for my parents. They were the perfect match for my sisters and me. Sometimes people look in a negative manner at parents who help a lot. They helped me pursue my dreams. It was not what they wanted; it was for their kids.”
For Falk, the long pursuit of a career in football resumes Sept. 2, when he and the Cougars play Montana State to kick off his senior season.
Email: drob@deseretnews.com