Marion Lukes

Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography

Photo by: Mac Mayhew '25 - @macmayhew

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

Photo by: Jared Lennon

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

Position:
Running Back
Height:
5-9
Weight:
200
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Charlestown, Ind.
High School:
Charlestown H.S.
Major:
Entrepreneurship
Twitter:
@lukes_era9

CAREER

Three-time All-MAC selection (Third Team in 2024 as a running back, First Team in 2023 as a kickoff returner and Third Team as a kickoff returner in 2021) … in four-year, 44-game, 19-start career, has totaled 3,988 combined all-purpose yards and scored 17 total touchdowns (13 rushing, two receiving, 2 on kickoff returns) … rushed for 1,942 yards and 13 touchdowns on 378 attempts (5.1 yards per carry), caught 59 passes for 605 yards and two touchdowns, and totaled 1,441 kickoff return yards on 70 attempts (20.6 yards per return) … concludes career tied for the school record in career kickoff return touchdowns (2, tied with Antonio Brown, 2007-09 and Bob Zilinski, 1968-70), ranked No. 3 in school records in career kickoff return yards (1,441), No. 3 in career kickoff returns (70), No. 16 in career average yards per kickoff return (20.6), and No. 11 in school records in career all-purpose yardage (3,988 yards) … also had four 100-yard rushing games, three 200-yard all-purpose games, and 15 100-yard all-purpose games, and two 3-touchdown games … two-time MAC West Player of the Week (Offensive Player of the Week/Special Teams Player of the Week).

2024

As a senior running back, saw action in 11 of 12 games with nine starts … served as team captain for all 12 games … listed as the starting running back on the depth chart … Third Team All-MAC as a running back … earned Third Team All-MAC honors by Phil Steele Magazine as a running back … earned College Football Network All-MAC honorable mention honors … Doak Walker Award nominee … Paul Hornung Award Watch List nominee … named a preseason Fourth Team All-America selection as a kick returner by Phil Steele Magazine … consensus preseason All-MAC pick … named the preseason MAC Running Back of the Year, First Team All-MAC and Second Team All-MAC as a kickoff returner by College Football Network … preseason Second Team All-MAC selection as a running back and all-purpose player by Lindy’s Magazine, Phil Steele Magazine, College Football News, and Athlon Magazine … named the MAC’s top special teams demon in preseason by Lindy’s Magazine … named to the East-West Shrine Bowl Top-1000 Watch List … led the Chippewas in all-purpose yardage (1,290), rushing yards (788), rushing touchdowns (five), kickoff returns (22-342), and total touchdowns scored (six) … averaged 4.9 yards per carry (161-788), caught 16 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, and averaged 15.55 yards per kickoff return (22-342) with a long of 39 yards … concluded the year ranked No. 27 in the nation in all-purpose yardage (117.27), ranked No. 8 in the MAC in rushing yards (71.6 yards per game), and No. 2 in all-purpose yards (117.3 yards per game) … rushed for 100 yards in two games and totaled eight 100-yard all-purpose games on the year … totaled 111 all-purpose yards, rushed for 78 yards on 13 carries and caught one pass for 20 yards in season finale at Northern Illinois (11/30) … finished with 105 all-purpose yards, rushed for 93 yards on 15 carries, caught one pass for 12 yards vs. Western Michigan (11/19) … rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, caught two passes for five yards at Toledo (11/12) … totaled 105 all-purpose yards, rushed for 72 yards on 20 carries and returned two kickoffs for 33 yards vs. Bowling Green (11/5) … returned five kickoffs for 73 yards and rushed for 25 yards at Miami (Ohio) (10/26) … rushed for a season-high 118 yards on 13 carries with a long run of 66 yards, caught one pass for 22 yards and finished with 140 all-purpose yards at Eastern Michigan (10/19) … totaled 159 all-purpose yards, rushed for a career-high three touchdowns and 110 yards on 20 carries and caught five passes for 31 yards vs. Ohio (10/12) … totaled 155 all-purpose yards, rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries, caught three passes for 57 yards and a touchdown with a long of 43 vs. San Diego State (9/28) … rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, totaled 110 all-purpose yards vs. Ball State (9/21) … totaled a season-high 199 all-purpose yards, rushed 10 times for 37 yards and returned nine kickoffs for 162 yards at Florida International (9/7) … missed the season opener vs. Central Connecticut State (8/29).

2023

As a junior, saw action in all 12 games at running back … started eight games on the year … listed as the starting running back on the depth chart … served as team captain five times … First Team All-MAC honoree as kickoff returner … earned Phil Steele Magazine All-MAC Second Team honors as a kickoff returner and Fourth Team honors a running back … also earned two MAC weekly awards, including MAC West Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 3) and MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 11) honors … College Sports Communicators Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List nominee … preseason All-MAC Third Team honoree by Athlon Magazine and Fourth Team honoree by Phil Steele Magazine … concluded the year ranked nationally in four statistics: No. 9 in all-purpose yards per game (134.83), No. 6 in kickoff return touchdowns (1), No. 16 in combined kick returns (581), and No. 25 in kickoff return average (23.2) … despite teams kicking away from him, led the MAC in three of those four statistics and ranked No. 2 in kickoff returns … proved to be the league’s most dangerous return man and top all-purpose player … accumulated a conference-best 1,618 all-purpose yards (737 rushing, 300 receiving, 581 on kickoff returns) … led the MAC in all-purpose yardage (MAC only games) with 151.63 yards per game (1,213 yards) … his 1,618 all-purpose yards ranked No. 18 in season records at CMU … led CMU and ranked No. 7 in the MAC in rushing with 737 yards and five touchdowns on 144 carries (5.1 average per carry), caught 29 passes for 300 yards, and returned 25 kickoffs for 581 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown … registered six games with 100 or more all-purpose yards and two 100-yard rushing games with his top performance coming against Northern Illinois, where he topped career-highs for rushing yards (202) and all-purpose yards (254) … totaled 149 all-purpose yards, rushed for 53 yards on 15 carries, caught two passes for 48 yards and returned two kickoffs for 48 yards in season finale vs. Toledo (11/24) … rushed for one touchdown and 75 yards on 15 carries, caught three passes for 13 yards at Ohio (11/15) … totaled 243 all-purpose yards, including 147 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries, one reception for 11 yards, and five kickoff returns for 85 yards at Western Michigan (11/7) … totaled a career-high 254 all-purpose yards, including a career-high 202 rushing yards (46-yard touchdown) on 21 carries, and three kickoff returns for 52 yards in win over Northern Illinois (10/31) … earned MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance vs. NIU (Nov. 3) … totaled 159 all-purpose yards, including 58 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, five receptions for 42 yards, 59 yards on kickoff returns, including a 45-yard return at Ball State (10/21) … caught a career-high seven passes for a career-high 73 yards and rushed for 21 yards on seven carries at Buffalo (10/7) … finished with 177 all-purpose yards, rushed for a touchdown and 47 yards on five carries, caught three passes for 42 yards and totaled 88 yards on four kickoff returns vs. Eastern Michigan (9/30) … finished with 171 all-purpose yards, scored on an 86-yard kickoff return touchdown, returned four kickoffs for 157 yards, rushed for nine yards and caught one pass for five yards in win vs. New Hampshire (9/9) … named the MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week after his performance against New Hampshire (Sept. 11).

2022

As a sophomore, played in 10 games with one start at running back … listed as the backup running back on the depth chart … saw action in 153 plays on offense and on special teams … ranked third on the team in rushing yardage with 323 yards with three touchdowns on 51 carries (6.3 yards per carry), caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown … also returned two kickoffs for 33 yards … rushed four times for 48 yards with a long of 35 yards in season finale at Eastern Michigan (11/25) … rushed seven times for 16 yards in start vs. Bowling Green (10/22) … set career-highs for all-purpose yards (249 yards), total touchdowns (three), rushing yardage (160), touchdown runs (two) and rushing attempts (26) with a career-long of 39 yards, caught four passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, along with a 37-yard reception at Akron (10/15) … rushed three times for 47 yards with a long of 30 vs. Bucknell (9/17) … scored a touchdown, rushed three times for 36 yards with a long of 21 vs. South Alabama (9/10).

2021

As a freshman, earned All-Mid-American Conference Third Team honors as a kickoff return specialist … played in all 13 games, making one start vs. Western Michigan (11/3) … served as the Chippewas’ primary kickoff returner … totaled 485 yards on 21 total returns (23.1 yards per return) … returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown vs. Eastern Michigan (11/26) … caught nine passes for 64 yards … rushed 22 times for 94 yards.

HIGH SCHOOL

A 2021 graduate of Charlestown High School, where he played three years of varsity football for Head Coach Jason Hawkins … two-time Indiana Football Coaches Association Class 3A Senior All-State Team selection (2019 and 2020) … Louisville Courier-Journal Football Player of the Year … three-time All-Mid-Southern Conference selection … over three-year career, rushed for 5,436 yards and scored 64 touchdowns as the school’s all-time rusher … rushed for 9.5 yards per carry and 2,599 yards on 209 carries and 30 touchdowns as a junior … led team to 8-2 finish … rushed for 1,074 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore … transferred from Floyd Central to Charlestown after his first semester as a freshman … rated a three-star recruit by 247sports and ON3DB and two-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals … also earned three letters in track & field and one in basketball.

PERSONAL

Born Marion Nicholls Lukes on June 10, 2002 … son of John and Nichole Lukes … younger brother Deven replaced him at running back at Charlestown H.S. … first started playing football at age 4 … he played quarterback and scored so many touchdowns in flag football that the league implemented a rule that he could only run the ball one time every three series … switched positions to running back from quarterback during his high school career … committed to Central Michigan on October 6, 2019 … majors in Entrepreneurship.