Luke Combs Explains Why He Dropped Out of College

"I was just more concerned with drinking and playing rugby and singing," the star admits.

Written by Chris Parton
Luke Combs Explains Why He Dropped Out of College
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON -- Episode 1065 -- Pictured: Musical guest Luke Combs performs on May 9, 2019 -- (Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)

Luke Combs opens up about his decision to drop out of college in a candid interview for Sunday Today this weekend.

Speaking with host Willie Geist, the Appalachian State University alum says he came within a semester to finishing his degree — but ultimately decided to chase his country dreams to Nashville instead. Combs admits he was never a very committed student … even if he was plenty capable of doing the work.

“Well, I mean I hated school,” Combs explains, according to People. “That helped; I was also probably failing out. We can pull the records on that probably. … But that was a thing I honestly struggled with [for] a long time ’cause I did want to graduate. I just don’t know honestly if I could have, you know? Maybe I’m dumb for saying this but, I don’t think I wasn’t smart enough to graduate, I just don’t think I was committed enough.”

It’s a feeling many fans can probably relate to, and things did ultimately work out for Combs — who has now topped the country charts with each of his first seven singles and both of his studio albums. But he does admit that his decision left his back against the wall when it came to the future. Maybe that’s part of his drive to succeed.

“There was nothing about it that made me want to be like, ‘Man, I just — I gotta get up and go to science class today,’” Combs says. “Nothing about me wanted to go to math or science, you know what I mean? I was just more concerned with drinking and playing rugby and singing. … Obviously you can’t drink for a living, so that was off the list and then I quickly realized I couldn’t play rugby for a living either, and so there was really only one choice.”

Check out more when the full interview airs on NBC’s Sunday Today with Willie Geist this Sunday at 8 a.m. ET.

In related news, the college dropout continues to rake in the accolades, earning three nominations for this year’s ACM Awards — Album of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and the biggie, Entertainer of the Year. The 55th annual ceremony will air live on CBS from Las Vegas April 5 at 8 p.m. ET, and Combs can be found touring extensively throughout 2020 on the What You See Is What You Get Tour.