Berks Catholic grad Luke Painton ready to tackle new challenge at UMass
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Luke Painton was an undersized outside linebacker at Berks Catholic as a sophomore, just 185 pounds draped over his lanky 6-4 frame. Like every kid he played with and against he dreamed of taking his game to the NFL, unlikely as that may have seemed at the time.
Some seven years later thoughts of playing professional football are more tangible. And that sophomore linebacker? Practically unrecognizable these days.
He is, as his mom Susie often tells him, “gigantic.”
Painton has morphed into a 310-pound offensive tackle, something even he might have considered unimaginable when he was playing quarterback in junior high. A 2,000-calorie breakfast each morning will do that for you.
The added size helped Painton at Columbia, where he was a three-year starter, and it helped him when he entered the NCAA transfer portal in late November. Blindside tackles are in demand and Painton got plenty of bites.
“I felt confident, with the work I had put on tape over the years, and with the measurables – my size, my resume — that I would get some looks,” Painton said of entering the portal. “I was hoping to move up, to play FBS, which I got that chance.”
The University of Massachusetts was one of about half-a-dozen schools to offer. Painton decided the Minutemen were the perfect fit.
“UMass was attractive because they play at the FBS level,” Painton said, “they play really big teams ever year. They play Georgia next year. I wanted that opportunity to play at the highest level I could and see where I stand.”
Painton started 20 games at tight end for Columbia as a sophomore and junior, then switched to offensive tackle for his final season. He was motivated to make the move when pro scouts told him he would have a chance to play that position at the next level.
“When I made that change, I was thinking about continuing my career after Columbia,” Painton said. “I had a successful career at tight end; I had touchdowns, started a lot of games, but for me I felt I capped my potential there.
“Looking around at guys (playing tackle) in the NFL, guys at high college football programs, they’re all very similar body types to myself, similar athleticism. I thought (moving to tackle) gave me a better chance of prolonging my football career.
“Half of playing offensive line in the NFL is just being big enough to do it. I possess decent athleticism for someone my size, so that was attractive to some of those (scouts).”
Painton was a two-time All-State pick at defensive end for Berks Catholic, where he helped the Saints win district titles in 2017 and 2018 and go 35-6 over his final three seasons.
He was a two-time All-Berks pick in lacrosse and played center as a senior on a Berks Catholic basketball team that won 22 games.
When it came time for a position switch at Columbia timing was not on Painton’s side. Because of strict Ivy League athletic eligibility rules he could not work out with the team during the spring semester of 2023. That meant he had to make the transition from tight end to tackle without getting daily hands-on instruction from his coaches during those critical spring practice sessions.
He worked out on his own for the first eight months of last year, studied the position on film, and concentrated on adding 40 pounds to his 6-6 frame.
He admits making the move under such circumstances “was ambitious.”
He wasn’t able to get back on the field with his teammates until August. Even then he had just four weeks to learn the position before Columbia’s season-opener against Lafayette Sept. 16.
“It was a grind, but nothing I hadn’t done before,” Painton said. “At tight end I run-blocked a lot. At tackle it’s harder because you’re doing it against bigger, stronger guys.”
Pass-blocking was a challenge; he was never called on to do that.
“As a tackle, you’re on an island out there,” he said. “Any mistake you make is magnified. You have no real help.”
One thing that helped, Painton said, was his background in lacrosse and basketball.
“You’re guarding someone, essentially (as a pass-blocker),” Painton said. “Your movement laterally is similar to both those sports. It’s more similar to lacrosse, because you can use your hands the same way you can use a stick.”
There was lots to learn at his new position and not much time to learn it; Painton’s first season there was cut short by a season-ending knee injury Week 8 against Harvard. He suffered a torn MCL, dislocated kneecap, and a torn Popliteofibular ligament in his right knee but did not require surgery.
“Pass-blocking, recognizing blitzes, hand placement,” he said. “It’s very much a technique and an art, and I am still learning (all of) that. I’m still very much a novice. I’m excited that at UMass I’ll have a whole offseason to learn and try to get better at that.”
Painton begins classes at UMass later this month. He’ll work toward a master’s degree in business analytics. He graduated from Columbia in December with a degree in sociology.
Painton is confident that his experience in the Ivy League, where he started 28 games and was a captain as a senior, will help him find success at UMass, and beyond.
“The Ivy League has a lot of dudes playing in the NFL right now,” he said. “I played (against) guys that are getting looked at, getting drafted, playing for (NFL) teams this (season). (I see them play and think): ‘That guy is no different than me athletically.’
“Those things come into your head. You see scouts start to come around. You start to dream about it. I think that’s every kid’s dream, to play at that level.”
