Luke Yoder reflects on football journey and brotherhood at Lehigh

Before the 161st Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry game, senior offensive lineman Austin Huff gave his high school best friend, four-year college roommate and Lehigh’s starting running back Luke Yoder a pre-game pep talk.

He told Yoder to go onto the field knowing he’s the best running back in the country, and no one on the field can tackle him.

“It wasn’t something that he needed,”  Huff said. “It was something that he’s always had.”

Yoder rushed for 234 yards and four touchdowns in that game to secure Lehigh’s second consecutive Patriot League Championship and first home playoff game since 2004. He was also named the game’s most valuable player. ​

During his junior year, Yoder won Patriot League Player of the Year, was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, was a Stats Perform Third Team All-American and was an honorable mention Associated Press All-American. 

He has 4,354 career rushing yards and broke Lehigh’s all time rushing yard record against Bucknell on Oct. 31. Yoder also leads the Patriot League with 16 rushing touchdowns this season.​

Yoder said football has always been a huge part of his life, instilled in him by his father, Todd Yoder, who played tight end in the NFL for 10 years. Todd Yoder played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins (now Commanders) throughout his professional career.

Luke Yoder grew up going to his dad’s games with his family.

“As a young person, being in that atmosphere kind of conditions you to want to be able to be in that environment when you’re older, and that translated as I grew up,” Yoder said.

Yoder said he started playing football casually with his grandfather in his childhood backyard. His grandfather would throw him footballs over the net of his  family’s trampoline, and Yoder would practice catching them for hours.

He started playing tackle football in second grade for his local team, the Countryside Cougars and played for them until high school.

Even at a young age, Yoder said he had aspirations to play professional football just like his dad. His dad’s career not only inspired him, but also motivated him.​

“I feel like he didn’t really believe that I could play professional football,” Yoder said. “So I feel like coming from someone that did, it kind of put that thought in the back of my head that I’ve always wanted to prove him wrong.”

Yoder said he first started becoming comfortable with his football ability when he hit a growth spurt at the end of his sophomore year of high school. He said he was used to getting pushed around on the football field, but once he was the same size as his opponents, his confidence grew.

Yoder said there were moments when he considered quitting football, especially during his first three years of high school, when his team had three consecutive losing seasons. He decided to transfer to his rival high school, where he also met Huff.

Although they had mutual friends, Huff said he and Yoder didn’t connect until after Huff’s high school team beat Yoder’s during their junior year. 

Knowing Yoder was already transferring, Huff got his contact information from a mutual friend and encouraged him to join his team. When Yoder did, Huff said they instantly became close friends.

Yoder said he hadn’t gotten many offers in high school, but once he transferred, he caught the attention of former Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill. 

Lehigh was Yoder’s first college visit, and although the team wasn’t as successful at the time, he said he remembers seeing the new staff and seeing the potential Cahill had to turn the program around.

Yoder was Cahill’s first commit after being offered a spot in person over dinner, a moment Yoder said was very special. But what was even more special to Yoder was sharing his college football experience with Huff.

Yoder and Huff were first-year roommates, sophomore year roommates, and have lived off campus together since junior year. Huff said he found comfort in experiencing his firsts at Lehigh with Yoder.​

“It was just huge to be able to have someone that wasn’t just a teammate in college,” Huff said. “You knew you had each other’s backs, and because we had each other’s backs, he could kind of tell me anything, and I would believe him.” ​

Although he found success in his first two years at Lehigh, Yoder’s junior year was when he started attracting national attention. He said he was looking forward to more success senior year, but once he found out Cahill was leaving to take a head coaching position at Yale, he too considered leaving.

Yoder said it was a spring day when he and his teammates got the message that instead of their team lift, the Mountain Hawks would be having a team meeting. He and his teammates started speculating when they saw the announcement that Cahill was leaving on Twitter an hour before the meeting started.

Yoder said he remembers being emotional going into the team meeting, especially since he was Cahill’s first commit, and remembers it being tough to even look at Cahill during the meeting.

But even though his head coach left, Yoder said his strong relationships with his teammates made him stay at Lehigh.

“Obviously the head coach is pretty important, but just being here with my roommate and building the relationships that I had with the guys, I felt like there was no choice for me to leave them, even though he left us,” Yoder said.

​After Cahill’s departure, Yoder said the transition was easier for the team because the new head coach Rich Nagy had previously served as defensive coordinator. 

Yoder said Nagy has done a great job changing how he speaks to the players and adapting to working with the offense.

Nagy said the ease of his coaching transition wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Yoder.

“We  started spending a lot of time together, and in the beginning spent a lot more time meeting and getting to know the offensive players on more one-to-one levels because I already had those relationships with the defensive guys,” Nagy said. “(Yoder) was a real instrumental piece in that thing, and I really got a lot of insight from him on himself and some of the other players.”

Nagy said his relationship with Yoder has grown since taking over the position. Through watching Yoder’s growth and maturity over his time at Lehigh, one of the traits he admires most about him is his work ethic.

Huff said he shares this sentiment, and he’s admired that quality since the two played in high school.

“Being able to be on this journey together has been awesome because I’ve just seen him grow, and he’s been the same person every day, putting in the work, giving it everything he has, no matter if it’s a practice or off-season lift or a summer day where we’re just going to the field,” Huff said.

Yoder said his ability to recognize defensive tendencies sets him apart from other running backs. He said he developed this skill in high school, but his growing confidence has been key to his success at the collegiate level. 

​Yoder said this confidence has been fostered through his teammates.​

“The brotherhood feels like a high school team, and I feel like that’s not a thing a lot of college football players can relate to,” Yoder said.

Yoder said the team has traditions every weekend to ensure they’re connected not just as teammates, but as brothers.​

Nagy said this brotherhood is something the team works towards, with Yoder playing a key role in fostering these connections and growing overall team confidence.

“They really try to get to know each other on levels deeper, just not superficial levels, so to speak, and really understand each other’s whys and why they play the game,” Nagy said. “The more you know someone, the better that relationship can be, and the better you can play for somebody.”

Yoder said as his Lehigh football career comes to an end, he isn’t putting any pressure on himself to decide his next steps. He said depending on how this season goes, he has hopes to play professionally.

Huff said the end of their football journey together is bittersweet.

“It’s awesome to see a teammate, a best friend and someone that I would call my brother and family for life succeed in the way that they’ve always wanted to succeed,” Huff said. “And I don’t think it stops here.”

Nagy said although Yoder will cement himself in Lehigh’s record books, he will more importantly leave behind the legacy of his willingness to be a great teammate and lead Lehigh’s football team to success. He said these traits will be appreciated long after Yoder is gone.

Huff said in 20 years, he sees himself and Yoder reflecting on their time together on the field and remembering that pregame talk before the 161st Rivalry Game.

“I’m excited to watch his journey and I’m sure that we’ll have more memories to talk about,” Huff said. “Watching his last year and what he’s doing, I’m always excited to see the next game and see what’s coming next.”