Columbia University Athletics

2023: Switched positions to left tackle … Team captain … Started first eight games of season before suffering season-ending injury … Played a postgrad year at University of Massachusetts.

2022: Started all 10 games … Had 35 catches for 253 yards and four touchdowns … Had four grabs for 49 yards, including game-winning touchdown in fourth quarter at Harvard … Caught a 14-yard TD pass against Dartmouth … Three receptions for 19 yards at Georgetown.
 
2021: Earned the Maniatty-Remmer Unsung Hero Award at team banquet … Started all 10 games as a junior tight end … Ranked No. 2 on the team in receptions with 18 for 123 yards and caught two touchdown passes … Also averaged 6.8 yards per catch and 12.3 yards receiving per game … Caught at least one pass in nine of 10 games and averaged 1.8 receptions per game … Caught two passes for 21 yards in season finale at Cornell (Nov. 20) … Registered his second receiving touchdown, an 11-yard catch from Joe Green and finished with two catches for 12 yards at Harvard (Nov. 6) … Tied a career-high with four receptions for 28 yards at Yale (Oct. 30) … Caught two passes for 11 yards at Central Connecticut State (Oct. 9) … Caught a career-high four passes for a career-best 37 yards and a 19-yard touchdown pass from Joe Green at Princeton (Oct. 2) … Made first career appearance, first start and first career catch, a two-yard reception vs. Marist (Sept. 18).
 
2020: Season canceled due to COVID pandemic.
 
2019: Did not see any game action as a first-year tight end.
 
HIGH SCHOOL: A 2019 graduate of Berks Catholic High School in Reading, Pa., where he played three years of varsity football for Head Coach Rick Keeley … Two-time Pennsylvania Class 4A All-State team as a defensive end … Two-time Pennsylvania Football Writers All-State selection … Two-time All-District selection … Two-time Defensive Lineman of the Year in Section Two of the Berks League … Three-time All-Berks Section 2 selection as both a tight end and defensive lineman … Two-time Reading Eagle All-Berks Team selection as a defensive end … Selected to compete in the PSFCA East-West All-Star Football Game in Altoona, Pa. … Named team captain as a senior … Played tight end and defensive end for the Saints … Also played quarterback and linebacker earlier in his high school career … Guided the Saints to back-to-back state Class 4A runner-up finishes … Caught 16 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns as a tight end and made 54 tackles, seven tackles for loss as a defensive end during his senior year … Ranked second on the team in tackles … Led the Saints to the Class 4A state championship runner-up finish, 11-3 overall record and 4-0 league record as a senior … Saints dropped a 41-31 loss to Bishop McDevitt in the title game … Recorded a team-best five sacks as a junior … Led the Saints to a 13-1 overall record, Class 4A state runner-up finish, 13-game win streak and 5-0 league record and conference title as a junior … Guided the Saints to a district title as a sophomore … Earned a total of eight varsity letters in three sports … Also played varsity basketball and lacrosse … Was the center on the basketball team and defender on lacrosse team … Guided the Saints to a 22-7 basketball record as a senior … Led the Saints to a district and country basketball championship during his junior season … Team captain for the lacrosse team as a senior … Two-time All-County selection as a lacrosse defender … Earned All-division Lacrosse LSM honors during sophomore season … Rated among the top-5 academically in his Senior Class … National Honor Society member.
 
PERSONAL: Born Luke T. Painton on June 16, 2000 in Allentown, Pa. … Son of Todd and Susan Painton … Oldest of four siblings: Jacob, Sarah and Hannah … Father played college basketball at East Stroudsburg University and was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame … Hobbies and interests include fishing, hunting and being outside with his dog … Role model is his father, who showed him how to persevere and work hard to achieve his goals … Favorite class and subject is literature … Favorite sport other this his is lacrosse … If he could travel back in time, he would go to the first football game ever played … Favorite things about Columbia are its location, academic rigor and people … Chose Columbia because it was the right fit for him with its location in the city, great academics and because of the connection he felt with the coaching staff and players … Committed to Columbia on July 30, 2018 before his senior year … Selected Columbia over offers from Colgate, Fordham, Albany, New Hampshire, Army West Point, Saint Francis U., Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Towson and interest from Penn State, Virginia Tech and Pitt … Enrolled at Columbia College … Majors in Sociology.