October 10, 2025 • 16 mins
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Luke Gifford joined “You’ve Got Mail” presented by Delta Dental to reflect on his Nebraska upbringing, college football journey, leadership in the locker room, reconnecting with former teammate QB Adrian Martinez, and fun personal favorites.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey, faithful, Welcome back to You've Got Mail, presented by
Delta Dental. I'm your forty nine Ers team reporter Brionna Janelle,
and in today's episode, we have a very special guest,
linebacker Luke Gifford. Luke and I talk all about what
it's like growing up in Nebraska, his early love for football,
what it's like now playing for the forty nine Ers
in the Bay, and we also answer some fans submitted questions.
(00:29):
If you'd like your question featured in a future episode,
be sure to follow the forty nine Ers on social media.
That's where we'll post an Instagram story asking for your questions.
So make sure to follow the forty nine Ers on
social media to get your question answered. Now here's my
conversation with Luke. Joining me now on You've Got Mail
is linebacker Luke Gifford. Luke, thanks for.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Joining me today, of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
How are you? How is practice? How are you feeling
leading into a Sunday's game in Tampa.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I'm good, I'm excited. Practice was good today. We've had
a good week so far, so looking forward to Sunday
for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
See Yeah. Now, on this podcast, we want to get
to know more about the players their lives off the field.
So let's start from the beginning. Luke, where are you from?
What was your family like growing up? Tell us a
little bit about who Luke was as a child.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, I'm from Lincoln, Nebraska. Grew up a diehard Nebraska fan,
big family, have three other siblings, two little brothers and
a younger sister, and then my parents. I grew up
about fifteen minutes from the stadium, so Nebraska football was
kind of what we're all about in my house. And yeah,
I actually have a little brother who also plays. He's
(01:35):
a rookie this year, so it's been fun, a lot
of fun. But yeah, a lot of Nebraska pride. That's
what it's all about in our house. So I lived
my dream for sure going to Nebraska.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
That's awesome. So I'm pretty sure like every Saturday it
was just Nebraska football.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
And I think that I probably went to every home
game since the time I was like nine. So I
grew up a die hard for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
That's awesome. What's something people get wrong about Nebraska?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I think that people tend to think it's smaller than
what it is. I mean, I grew up in Lincoln,
and Lincoln's over three hundred thousand people, and I think
when I tell people that, they're usually pretty surprise. There's
a little more to it than what people think. I'm
not saying there's a ton to do, but there's more
to it than what people think for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So then when you're not watching Nebraska football, what are
you doing? How would you like sell Nebraska to people
who are interested?
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well, I love to hunt. Growing up. That was something
that my dad and my brothers did, so we'd fill
our time with that. Obviously that's hard with sports, but yeah,
that was kind of our go to My family lives
on a lake back home, so now it's like when
we go back, we fish and we're on the boat,
and uh yeah, that's kind of That's kind of how
I feel my time.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
That's awesome. Who introduced you to Nebraska football? Because you know,
growing up in a football family myself, like, honestly, it
was my mom who had a huge love for the
San Francisco forty nine ers. So that's what I watched
every single weekend growing up, and so my mom her
influence on me was huge. Now that ended up here
at San Francisco forty nine ers, like who really introduced
(03:00):
you to football?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It was definitely my dad, you know. And when I
was born in ninety five, which was when Nebraska was
kind of in their prime. Won a national championship in
ninety five and then again in ninety seven, So the
whole state was just just in love with Nebraska football,
you know. So I had a ball in my hand
from the time I was young, and and that's just
kind of what our family was about. So I that
was my dream from as from for as long as
(03:22):
I can remember, it was to play there.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, I mean, what's something you miss about your hometown
Now that you're you know, quite a well away out
here in California, when's the last time you were there
and what do you miss about it?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
I was, I think right before the season was the
last time I've been home. But to be honest, this
sounds kind of crazy, but I was telling my mom
the other day that I love the sunshine and the
weather's great, but every once in a while the cloud
and like maybe a little chilling there.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
It would be nice with the fall.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I need some seasons. I want to be able to
put a hoodie on and some shorts. So I've been
hearing that that's possible here, maybe in the next couple
of weeks. Yeah, so I'm kind of looking forward to that.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah, it's interesting. California sort of has late some because
you were here doing training camp and all at the beginning,
and it wasn't super hot, like I feel like training camp.
You know, you try to gear up, like put your
sunscreen on and everything, but it wasn't bad. Honestly, the
heat starts coming in like September October, so it's probably
a little odd. But I think once we get towards
(04:18):
like December November, you'll start to feel that breeze that
you're good.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah. Yeah. Now you talked about how really football was
just the beginning growing up, and how Nebraska was your
shining star as a kid. Tell me what it was
like to, you know, hear from Nebraska play college football
there get accepted into the college. Was that like very
full circle for you?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
No, for sure, you know, I like I all throughout recruitment,
I never wanted to go anywhere else, and so it's
hard for me to even entertain anything else. Yeah, I
recruited or I committed really fast when they offered me
and so then to go there and honestly, like my
time in Nebraska wasn't wasn't all that great, Like from
a from a winning standpoint, we you know, we had
(05:03):
three different head coaches while I was there, and a
lot of different defensive coordinators. So, like the turnover was
tough and honestly probably one of the toughest stretches in
Nebraska football history. But there was so much that I
learned in that time, and like, I wouldn't trade it
for anything. Being able to play at home and be
in front of my family and friends, that was that
was something that I always wanted to do, and it
was I loved it, Like I wouldn't take anything back
at all.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Yeah, when you were in high school and you were
playing football, studying making sure that you looked great for
Nebraska when it was time for them to call, did
any mentors, maybe coaches or teachers ever ask you what's
your plan B?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
You know, it's funny because I, to be honest, I
really never had a plan B. You know, my dad
is actually he's an insurance guy. So I was always like,
I guess if I have to, I can, I'll go
work for my dad. But like from the time that
I was. I remember in middle school, I think I
was in like sixth grade. I told my health teacher
that I was gonna play in the NFL. And you know,
(05:56):
it's cliche like people, you know, people always have these
stories about someone telling that that's not gonna happen or
the chances aren't very high. But I vividly remember my
health teacher telling me that nobody had ever done that
from our middle school and that the chances weren't high,
and I was like, well, it's gonna be me, you know,
so so yeah, I really didn't have a Plan B.
That was always my Plan A, and that was it.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I love hearing those stories. How you know, in school
they always talk about those plan b's and being ready
for everything, especially for kids who are transitioning into college
and having that roadmap set up for them. But having
a Plan A and sticking with it and having that
determination is really really cool. Do you feel like you
were born with that or did did you look up
(06:38):
to someone to have that sort of distermination and inspired you.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I think my dad again, yeah, and my mom too,
but my dad, I think just seeing the way that
he handled his business and raised our family and was
a role model for all of us. I think that's
you know, I think I got it from him. And
I think too, like when you have a plan A
like that and you stick to it if it doesn't
work out, I think you learned so many things along
the way that Plan B becomes easier, you know. I
(07:03):
think when you put everything you have towards something, then
you know, you build a lot of other things and
character and tools. So yeah, I think I think that
was the best way to do it.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Okay, cool, Now teach me about Nebraska. I know there's
some fun traditions, like I've heard about balloons after touchdowns
or I've also heard of Valentino's pizza.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Is that you know tradition that's the go.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
To What tell me a little bit more about that?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, okay, so the balloon tradition, for sure, that's a
cool one that we have. The tunnel walk, I don't
know if you know much about that. I think we
have one of the coolest entrances in college football.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
What did you like? For those who haven't seen.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
It, they they they they've been playing the same song forever.
I don't even know the name of it. This is
terrible of me. But they get the chance going before
kickoff and they do Husker Power. So one side of
the stadium says Husker, the other says power and it's
just rocking. So it's a pretty cool experience. So you
(07:58):
got that, and then you also have I don't know
if you've heard of runs Of So Runsa is like
Nebraska's fast food chain that everybody loves. It's kind of
like a runs Is itself are like it's it's adobe
bread with meat and cabbage, like hamburger meat and cabbage
and cheese, and there's a bunch of different kinds of them.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Is it a sandwich? Is it?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
It's not a sandwich. This this is a big debate,
Like this is an ongoing thing. I don't even really
know how.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Entering, like really sticky.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
This could get interesting. But yeah, So I honestly am
not a huge This is sacrilegious Nebraska. I'm not a
huge runs of fan. I love the burgers and I'll
have a Runza every once in a while. But that's
kind of between Valentino's and Runzo's. That's our kind of
claim to fame in Nebraska.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
What makes Valentinos so specially, it's just really good pizza.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah, it's really good pizza. And I think that, you know,
it's been served at the stadium forever, so it's kind
of like iconic to me. When I went to a
Nebraska game, I'd always have either a runza or i'd
have a slice of hamburger pece. So yeah, I think
that's what everybody thinks of when they think Nebraska football
and the food. That's that's it.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Okay nice. Another tradition I learned about is being a
black shirt or a black jersey player. You were a
black shirt? I yes, tell me more about that. What
makes a player a black shirt player at Nebraska?
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah, so the tradition started. I'm not sure the exact
year that it started, but basically all the starters on
defense earn a black shirt and it just signifies the starters.
And I think that, you know, when you think of Nebraska,
you think about all the great defenses they had in
their prime, and so it meant a lot for me.
Like when I growing up, all I ever wanted to
do was have a black shirt. Like the first time
(09:38):
I had a black shirt my jersey, I think I
shed some tears, you know. So it's like it's just
something that's really near and deer to Nebraska, and there
were a few years where the defense was a little tough,
to be honest with you, but the last few years
that tradition has really started to come back and it's
something that is really important to Nebraska fans.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah. I was watching a lot of your content all
the way from Nebraska through your NFL journey up until now,
and it seems like you take a lot of pride
in being a leader. It's a huge part of your game.
It seems like that's when you're at your best. Tell
me more about those leadership qualities you have and why
you want to, you know, step into those.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I appreciate that. I think that, you know, I think
that God had just kind of blessed me with the
ability to lead. I think it relates to people well.
And honestly, I've been through a lot and football wise,
in high school and college, so I think I've just
learned a lot. And you know, I tried to be
a servant leader, and I think that those are usually
the best kinds of leaders. And when you care about
others more than you care about yourself, I think that's
(10:32):
the most important thing.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, now you're stepping into a San Francisco Special teams
unit defense where you know you're a veteran player and
there's a lot of young guys. Have you been able
to flex your leadership skills here in the Bay.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
For sure. It's been a process. I think anytime you're
new to a team, first you got to prove yourself. Yeah,
and that's something I learned about the NFL right away,
Like after I left Dallas, it was you know, it's
all about what you're doing for the team now, not
about what you've done in the past. So just proven
myself again and earning the guy's trust I think is
the biggest thing. And now I kind of feel like,
you know, we're at a point in the season where
(11:06):
that's starting to happen and I can be a little
bit more vocal. And we got a really good relationship.
Whether it's with the linebackers, the defense, or the special
teams unit. We all we know, we anything, everything comes
from a place of love and caring about each other.
So people are pretty receptive to that kind of stuff
for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Yeah, that's sweet. And while we're talking about the Niners
locker room, you have a Nebraska teammate in there. With
you with Adrian Martinez. What's it like, you know, reuniting
with him and connecting with him.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, it's awesome. Adriam was my quarterback my senior year
and he's my guy. I love him. He's he's a
great player. When I found out he just come when
I was pumped. He sent me a message right away.
So it's been really cool to reunite and be with
him again.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Yeah, it was so funny. As I was talking about
I was like watching all the content. I knew you
were coming into the podcast studio, so I was like,
all right, let me learn about Luke. Let me get
some insider information. But you actually had a podcast episode
with him, like about three years ago or something. Did
you guys ever like talk about that.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah, we have a little bit. It's it's crazy to
think about how different our lives were at that time,
you know, to where we are now. So it's pretty cool. Yeah.
I was like, it's funny because Adrian started the podcast
and I was like, he better asked me to be on,
and sure enough he did, you know, So it was
pretty cool. It was a fun experience for you guys.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Think you'd ever get back into the podcast game. Or
in football season. It's hard to think about anything else.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I've thought about it. I think it's it's a good
skill to have to be able to talk and have
conversation like that. So I think it'd be something that
would push me. And I'm not saying I'm going to
turn into some big podcaster at all, but I've thought
about it for sure. I think it'd be fun.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Maybe we should have got Adrian in here with us
so we can chat here. That'd be awesome with it,
like just having him with you here in the Bay Area.
Do you guys ever like link up to I don't know,
go grab dinner or hang out.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
It's I think we haven't as much yet. Hopefully now
that he's all settled in and the season gets going,
we can a little bit. But yeah, I'm looking forward.
It's nice to just have another familiar face around, especially
in a new place, you know. So I know I
was hoping to be that for him coming to a
new place, and it's I know, it's nice to have
him around for me as well.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
So yeah, sweet Well, I was watching her as his
podcast and a funny story came up that you were
sharing about how your rookie season with the cowboys. How
in front of the meeting room they have everyone seeing
all the rookies coming a little song. Yes, that's pretty funny.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Yeah, I like to think that I have I have
a really good voice. I don't at all, but I
but I try, so I gave it everything. I think
I made the mistake of like trying too hard the
first time around, and nobody else tried, so then when
it went wrong for everybody else, I was the one
that had to come back up and singing to finish
the night. So I sang way too many times during camp.
(13:41):
But it was fun.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Have you seen any episodes of this podcast?
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I have not?
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Okay, well, first time guests.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Oh no, absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
They have to stay.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I'm out here. Don't ask me yours. Oh yeah, I'm done.
I retired.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
I was trying to see maybe we could get some
singing from you, but that was me putting you on
the spot. Now, speaking of just the transition we talked about,
you know, singing with sort of like a story, just
to paint the picture of what it's like entering the
NFL Eurokie season. Now you again, come over to the bay.
You posted on Instagram with the caption saying back in Red,
I feel like myself again. Is that just because you've
(14:20):
got the red on or how is the transition for
you here?
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I mean, I think it's a lot more than that,
to be honest. I could tell in the first twenty
four hours of being here and signing that this was
a special place. And I've heard a lot about it
through guys that have been here, and and so when
I got here, like you know, it brought me a
little more joy to football game, you know, not that
I lost it, but I had had a couple of
(14:43):
tough years and so it was good to be in
an organization where things were done the right way and
and there's a lot of great people around. I think that,
you know, it's not about the place, it's about the people.
The people are what makes the place. And so it
was pretty evident when I got here that there's a
lot of special people here.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, it's the people culture that sparked that join in
you sure, Yeah, I love. What are some of the
first conversations you had with some Niners personnel or players
when you're making your way over.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Yeah, Well, first off is Cole Anderson. He's the assistant
Special Teams coach, and I was with him in Tennessee,
so obviously him and then Coach Boyer, those two were
the biggest reason that I was here, honestly, and Cole
had always told me how great of a coach Coach
Boyer was, so to be able to meet with him
and talk to him and just he's just a great guy,
(15:30):
you know, And I knew there would be a great fit.
And then obviously Johnny and Coach Sala and Kyle. It
just you know, it took like ten minutes to sit
down and talk to everybody to know how how great
this place was, and I just, yeah, I was pumped
about it right away.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
All right, Now, we're going to transition into a fun
segment called first and Favorites. I'm going to name off
a couple of questions to you. We'll talk through your
first your favorites. So, first one, your first jersey you've
ever owned.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I think I had a Priest Holmes jersey I was.
I was kind of a chief fan when I was younger,
so Preest Homes I think was my first.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Okay, very cool. And then now transitioning over to your favorite,
we're talking Niners jerseys. So out of the away Classic
and the whites, the Home Classic and the Red
Hey, faithful, Welcome back to You've Got Mail, presented by
Delta Dental. I'm your forty nine Ers team reporter Brionna Janelle,
and in today's episode, we have a very special guest,
linebacker Luke Gifford. Luke and I talk all about what
it's like growing up in Nebraska, his early love for football,
what it's like now playing for the forty nine Ers
in the Bay, and we also answer some fans submitted questions.
(00:29):
If you'd like your question featured in a future episode,
be sure to follow the forty nine Ers on social media.
That's where we'll post an Instagram story asking for your questions.
So make sure to follow the forty nine Ers on
social media to get your question answered. Now here's my
conversation with Luke. Joining me now on You've Got Mail
is linebacker Luke Gifford. Luke, thanks for.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Joining me today, of course, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
How are you? How is practice? How are you feeling
leading into a Sunday's game in Tampa.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I'm good, I'm excited. Practice was good today. We've had
a good week so far, so looking forward to Sunday
for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
See Yeah. Now, on this podcast, we want to get
to know more about the players their lives off the field.
So let's start from the beginning. Luke, where are you from?
What was your family like growing up? Tell us a
little bit about who Luke was as a child.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, I'm from Lincoln, Nebraska. Grew up a diehard Nebraska fan,
big family, have three other siblings, two little brothers and
a younger sister, and then my parents. I grew up
about fifteen minutes from the stadium, so Nebraska football was
kind of what we're all about in my house. And yeah,
I actually have a little brother who also plays. He's
(01:35):
a rookie this year, so it's been fun, a lot
of fun. But yeah, a lot of Nebraska pride. That's
what it's all about in our house. So I lived
my dream for sure going to Nebraska.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
That's awesome. So I'm pretty sure like every Saturday it
was just Nebraska football.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
And I think that I probably went to every home
game since the time I was like nine. So I
grew up a die hard for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
That's awesome. What's something people get wrong about Nebraska?
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I think that people tend to think it's smaller than
what it is. I mean, I grew up in Lincoln,
and Lincoln's over three hundred thousand people, and I think
when I tell people that, they're usually pretty surprise. There's
a little more to it than what people think. I'm
not saying there's a ton to do, but there's more
to it than what people think for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So then when you're not watching Nebraska football, what are
you doing? How would you like sell Nebraska to people
who are interested?
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well, I love to hunt. Growing up. That was something
that my dad and my brothers did, so we'd fill
our time with that. Obviously that's hard with sports, but yeah,
that was kind of our go to My family lives
on a lake back home, so now it's like when
we go back, we fish and we're on the boat,
and uh yeah, that's kind of That's kind of how
I feel my time.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
That's awesome. Who introduced you to Nebraska football? Because you know,
growing up in a football family myself, like, honestly, it
was my mom who had a huge love for the
San Francisco forty nine ers. So that's what I watched
every single weekend growing up, and so my mom her
influence on me was huge. Now that ended up here
at San Francisco forty nine ers, like who really introduced
(03:00):
you to football?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It was definitely my dad, you know. And when I
was born in ninety five, which was when Nebraska was
kind of in their prime. Won a national championship in
ninety five and then again in ninety seven, So the
whole state was just just in love with Nebraska football,
you know. So I had a ball in my hand
from the time I was young, and and that's just
kind of what our family was about. So I that
was my dream from as from for as long as
(03:22):
I can remember, it was to play there.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, I mean, what's something you miss about your hometown
Now that you're you know, quite a well away out
here in California, when's the last time you were there
and what do you miss about it?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
I was, I think right before the season was the
last time I've been home. But to be honest, this
sounds kind of crazy, but I was telling my mom
the other day that I love the sunshine and the
weather's great, but every once in a while the cloud
and like maybe a little chilling there.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
It would be nice with the fall.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I need some seasons. I want to be able to
put a hoodie on and some shorts. So I've been
hearing that that's possible here, maybe in the next couple
of weeks. Yeah, so I'm kind of looking forward to that.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah, it's interesting. California sort of has late some because
you were here doing training camp and all at the beginning,
and it wasn't super hot, like I feel like training camp.
You know, you try to gear up, like put your
sunscreen on and everything, but it wasn't bad. Honestly, the
heat starts coming in like September October, so it's probably
a little odd. But I think once we get towards
(04:18):
like December November, you'll start to feel that breeze that
you're good.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah. Yeah. Now you talked about how really football was
just the beginning growing up, and how Nebraska was your
shining star as a kid. Tell me what it was
like to, you know, hear from Nebraska play college football
there get accepted into the college. Was that like very
full circle for you?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
No, for sure, you know, I like I all throughout recruitment,
I never wanted to go anywhere else, and so it's
hard for me to even entertain anything else. Yeah, I
recruited or I committed really fast when they offered me
and so then to go there and honestly, like my
time in Nebraska wasn't wasn't all that great, Like from
a from a winning standpoint, we you know, we had
(05:03):
three different head coaches while I was there, and a
lot of different defensive coordinators. So, like the turnover was
tough and honestly probably one of the toughest stretches in
Nebraska football history. But there was so much that I
learned in that time, and like, I wouldn't trade it
for anything. Being able to play at home and be
in front of my family and friends, that was that
was something that I always wanted to do, and it
was I loved it, Like I wouldn't take anything back
at all.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Yeah, when you were in high school and you were
playing football, studying making sure that you looked great for
Nebraska when it was time for them to call, did
any mentors, maybe coaches or teachers ever ask you what's
your plan B?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
You know, it's funny because I, to be honest, I
really never had a plan B. You know, my dad
is actually he's an insurance guy. So I was always like,
I guess if I have to, I can, I'll go
work for my dad. But like from the time that
I was. I remember in middle school, I think I
was in like sixth grade. I told my health teacher
that I was gonna play in the NFL. And you know,
(05:56):
it's cliche like people, you know, people always have these
stories about someone telling that that's not gonna happen or
the chances aren't very high. But I vividly remember my
health teacher telling me that nobody had ever done that
from our middle school and that the chances weren't high,
and I was like, well, it's gonna be me, you know,
so so yeah, I really didn't have a Plan B.
That was always my Plan A, and that was it.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I love hearing those stories. How you know, in school
they always talk about those plan b's and being ready
for everything, especially for kids who are transitioning into college
and having that roadmap set up for them. But having
a Plan A and sticking with it and having that
determination is really really cool. Do you feel like you
were born with that or did did you look up
(06:38):
to someone to have that sort of distermination and inspired you.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I think my dad again, yeah, and my mom too,
but my dad, I think just seeing the way that
he handled his business and raised our family and was
a role model for all of us. I think that's
you know, I think I got it from him. And
I think too, like when you have a plan A
like that and you stick to it if it doesn't
work out, I think you learned so many things along
the way that Plan B becomes easier, you know. I
(07:03):
think when you put everything you have towards something, then
you know, you build a lot of other things and
character and tools. So yeah, I think I think that
was the best way to do it.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Okay, cool, Now teach me about Nebraska. I know there's
some fun traditions, like I've heard about balloons after touchdowns
or I've also heard of Valentino's pizza.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Is that you know tradition that's the go.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
To What tell me a little bit more about that?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, okay, so the balloon tradition, for sure, that's a
cool one that we have. The tunnel walk, I don't
know if you know much about that. I think we
have one of the coolest entrances in college football.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
What did you like? For those who haven't seen.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
It, they they they they've been playing the same song forever.
I don't even know the name of it. This is
terrible of me. But they get the chance going before
kickoff and they do Husker Power. So one side of
the stadium says Husker, the other says power and it's
just rocking. So it's a pretty cool experience. So you
(07:58):
got that, and then you also have I don't know
if you've heard of runs Of So Runsa is like
Nebraska's fast food chain that everybody loves. It's kind of
like a runs Is itself are like it's it's adobe
bread with meat and cabbage, like hamburger meat and cabbage
and cheese, and there's a bunch of different kinds of them.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Is it a sandwich? Is it?
Speaker 2 (08:20):
It's not a sandwich. This this is a big debate,
Like this is an ongoing thing. I don't even really
know how.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Entering, like really sticky.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
This could get interesting. But yeah, So I honestly am
not a huge This is sacrilegious Nebraska. I'm not a
huge runs of fan. I love the burgers and I'll
have a Runza every once in a while. But that's
kind of between Valentino's and Runzo's. That's our kind of
claim to fame in Nebraska.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
What makes Valentinos so specially, it's just really good pizza.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah, it's really good pizza. And I think that, you know,
it's been served at the stadium forever, so it's kind
of like iconic to me. When I went to a
Nebraska game, I'd always have either a runza or i'd
have a slice of hamburger pece. So yeah, I think
that's what everybody thinks of when they think Nebraska football
and the food. That's that's it.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Okay nice. Another tradition I learned about is being a
black shirt or a black jersey player. You were a
black shirt? I yes, tell me more about that. What
makes a player a black shirt player at Nebraska?
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah, so the tradition started. I'm not sure the exact
year that it started, but basically all the starters on
defense earn a black shirt and it just signifies the starters.
And I think that, you know, when you think of Nebraska,
you think about all the great defenses they had in
their prime, and so it meant a lot for me.
Like when I growing up, all I ever wanted to
do was have a black shirt. Like the first time
(09:38):
I had a black shirt my jersey, I think I
shed some tears, you know. So it's like it's just
something that's really near and deer to Nebraska, and there
were a few years where the defense was a little tough,
to be honest with you, but the last few years
that tradition has really started to come back and it's
something that is really important to Nebraska fans.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah. I was watching a lot of your content all
the way from Nebraska through your NFL journey up until now,
and it seems like you take a lot of pride
in being a leader. It's a huge part of your game.
It seems like that's when you're at your best. Tell
me more about those leadership qualities you have and why
you want to, you know, step into those.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I appreciate that. I think that, you know, I think
that God had just kind of blessed me with the
ability to lead. I think it relates to people well.
And honestly, I've been through a lot and football wise,
in high school and college, so I think I've just
learned a lot. And you know, I tried to be
a servant leader, and I think that those are usually
the best kinds of leaders. And when you care about
others more than you care about yourself, I think that's
(10:32):
the most important thing.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, now you're stepping into a San Francisco Special teams
unit defense where you know you're a veteran player and
there's a lot of young guys. Have you been able
to flex your leadership skills here in the Bay.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
For sure. It's been a process. I think anytime you're
new to a team, first you got to prove yourself. Yeah,
and that's something I learned about the NFL right away,
Like after I left Dallas, it was you know, it's
all about what you're doing for the team now, not
about what you've done in the past. So just proven
myself again and earning the guy's trust I think is
the biggest thing. And now I kind of feel like,
you know, we're at a point in the season where
(11:06):
that's starting to happen and I can be a little
bit more vocal. And we got a really good relationship.
Whether it's with the linebackers, the defense, or the special
teams unit. We all we know, we anything, everything comes
from a place of love and caring about each other.
So people are pretty receptive to that kind of stuff
for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Yeah, that's sweet. And while we're talking about the Niners
locker room, you have a Nebraska teammate in there. With
you with Adrian Martinez. What's it like, you know, reuniting
with him and connecting with him.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, it's awesome. Adriam was my quarterback my senior year
and he's my guy. I love him. He's he's a
great player. When I found out he just come when
I was pumped. He sent me a message right away.
So it's been really cool to reunite and be with
him again.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Yeah, it was so funny. As I was talking about
I was like watching all the content. I knew you
were coming into the podcast studio, so I was like,
all right, let me learn about Luke. Let me get
some insider information. But you actually had a podcast episode
with him, like about three years ago or something. Did
you guys ever like talk about that.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah, we have a little bit. It's it's crazy to
think about how different our lives were at that time,
you know, to where we are now. So it's pretty cool. Yeah.
I was like, it's funny because Adrian started the podcast
and I was like, he better asked me to be on,
and sure enough he did, you know, So it was
pretty cool. It was a fun experience for you guys.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Think you'd ever get back into the podcast game. Or
in football season. It's hard to think about anything else.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I've thought about it. I think it's it's a good
skill to have to be able to talk and have
conversation like that. So I think it'd be something that
would push me. And I'm not saying I'm going to
turn into some big podcaster at all, but I've thought
about it for sure. I think it'd be fun.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Maybe we should have got Adrian in here with us
so we can chat here. That'd be awesome with it,
like just having him with you here in the Bay Area.
Do you guys ever like link up to I don't know,
go grab dinner or hang out.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
It's I think we haven't as much yet. Hopefully now
that he's all settled in and the season gets going,
we can a little bit. But yeah, I'm looking forward.
It's nice to just have another familiar face around, especially
in a new place, you know. So I know I
was hoping to be that for him coming to a
new place, and it's I know, it's nice to have
him around for me as well.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
So yeah, sweet Well, I was watching her as his
podcast and a funny story came up that you were
sharing about how your rookie season with the cowboys. How
in front of the meeting room they have everyone seeing
all the rookies coming a little song. Yes, that's pretty funny.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Yeah, I like to think that I have I have
a really good voice. I don't at all, but I
but I try, so I gave it everything. I think
I made the mistake of like trying too hard the
first time around, and nobody else tried, so then when
it went wrong for everybody else, I was the one
that had to come back up and singing to finish
the night. So I sang way too many times during camp.
(13:41):
But it was fun.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Have you seen any episodes of this podcast?
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I have not?
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Okay, well, first time guests.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Oh no, absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
They have to stay.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I'm out here. Don't ask me yours. Oh yeah, I'm done.
I retired.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
I was trying to see maybe we could get some
singing from you, but that was me putting you on
the spot. Now, speaking of just the transition we talked about,
you know, singing with sort of like a story, just
to paint the picture of what it's like entering the
NFL Eurokie season. Now you again, come over to the bay.
You posted on Instagram with the caption saying back in Red,
I feel like myself again. Is that just because you've
(14:20):
got the red on or how is the transition for
you here?
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I mean, I think it's a lot more than that,
to be honest. I could tell in the first twenty
four hours of being here and signing that this was
a special place. And I've heard a lot about it
through guys that have been here, and and so when
I got here, like you know, it brought me a
little more joy to football game, you know, not that
I lost it, but I had had a couple of
(14:43):
tough years and so it was good to be in
an organization where things were done the right way and
and there's a lot of great people around. I think that,
you know, it's not about the place, it's about the people.
The people are what makes the place. And so it
was pretty evident when I got here that there's a
lot of special people here.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, it's the people culture that sparked that join in
you sure, Yeah, I love. What are some of the
first conversations you had with some Niners personnel or players
when you're making your way over.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Yeah, Well, first off is Cole Anderson. He's the assistant
Special Teams coach, and I was with him in Tennessee,
so obviously him and then Coach Boyer, those two were
the biggest reason that I was here, honestly, and Cole
had always told me how great of a coach Coach
Boyer was, so to be able to meet with him
and talk to him and just he's just a great guy,
(15:30):
you know, And I knew there would be a great fit.
And then obviously Johnny and Coach Sala and Kyle. It
just you know, it took like ten minutes to sit
down and talk to everybody to know how how great
this place was, and I just, yeah, I was pumped
about it right away.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
All right, Now, we're going to transition into a fun
segment called first and Favorites. I'm going to name off
a couple of questions to you. We'll talk through your
first your favorites. So, first one, your first jersey you've
ever owned.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I think I had a Priest Holmes jersey I was.
I was kind of a chief fan when I was younger,
so Preest Homes I think was my first.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Okay, very cool. And then now transitioning over to your favorite,
we're talking Niners jerseys. So out of the away Classic
and the whites, the Home Classic and the Red
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