Luke Barker was named the 19th head football coach in program history on Jan. 27, 2024
Barker has numerous ties to the Mountain East Conference including his most recent stop as the Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at the University of Charleston. During his stint with the Golden Eagles, he coached eight different All-MEC players including the 2021 and 2023 Offensive Player of the Year.
Over his three seasons at Charleston, the team went 27-10 with a conference title in 2023 and reaching the second round of the super region in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Last year, Barker's offense led the conference in scoring, first downs, rushing touchdowns, total yards, total touchdowns and several other categories.
Prior to Charleston, Barker was the Assistant Head Coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania while also serving as the running backs and tight ends coach. Spanning over six seasons, IUP went 50-11 with four trips to the NCAA Division II Playoffs with a National Semifinal Appearance in 2017.
Barker came to IUP from West Virginia Wesleyan. He spent two seasons with the Bobcats, coaching the Running Backs and heading up the special teams under head coach George Shehl.
During his two years at WVW, Barker worked with young running back Michael Anderson, who ran for a combined 1,156 yards and seven touchdowns during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Anderson also was a reliable receiving threat out of the backfield, catching 42 passes for 416 yards in 2014.
The Cincinnati native graduated from the University of Charleston in 2012 with a degree in Business Administration. He and his wife, Nicole, have two sons: Wilson and Jack.
