Five-star DL Anthony Lucas trims list to 7 schools

Anthony Lucas checks in as the No. 13 player in the country on On3 2022 rankings. The 6-foot-5, 279-pound defensive lineman out of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral has a long list of offers, and he made a list of 10 favorites in the spring, but after summer visits he is down to seven.

Alabama, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and USC have made the second cut, and this could be the final cut before Lucas makes his decision.

“I see myself committing toward the end of the college football season, and this is likely the list of schools I will commit from,” Lucas said. “I do not think I will cut my list down again.”

The time on the road in June and July played a big role in the shaping of this list.

“Visits were so important to me,” Lucas said. “I got to get out, interact with coaches and really meet them face-to-face this summer. Getting to see the environment at different schools and how the campus was helped me a lot, too.

“I visited every school in my top seven except for USC over the summer, so I saw a lot. The relationships I have built with coaches and how I felt on visits really helped me get to this point.”

More important visits are coming

The official visits have been taken: Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon and Texas A&M received the five allowed by the NCAA, but Lucas plans to hit the road hard again in the fall.

“I can’t wait to get back to schools I visited this summer and see the ones I haven’t made it to yet,” Lucas said. “I visited USC over spring break, but the coaches couldn’t see us, so it was different. We will be getting back there again.

“I have already made plans to get back to Alabama (LSU game), Texas A&M (Alabama game) and Notre Dame (USC game). I am working on the others.”

The official visits played a big role in his top seven, and the visits in the fall will help him get to the finish line with a decision.

“Seeing games, what it is like on game day and each visit from here on will be very important,” Lucas said. “Coaches have been talking to me a lot about their team and what they plan to do with me. I want to see if what they say matches up with what they do on the field.

“My feeling on how things match up with what coaches are telling me, and how I feel in that environment, will help me a lot with my commitment.”

The feeling for each of his favorites

There are some similarities in each of his seven schools, but Lucas said there are some differences, too. He shared what he thinks about when each of his favorites comes to mind.

Alabama: “The winning culture.”

LSU: “Relationships and great defense.”

Miami: “The school I always followed. Grew up in Florida and loved Miami.”

Notre Dame: “The degree. I love how they preach the 40-year decision.”

Oregon: “The family atmosphere is great.”

Texas A&M: “The home feeling the coaches created.”

USC: “Not far from home and the tradition.”

Special connection with one school

The relationships have been established and that is a big reason why the schools have made it to the top seven. But there is one school that stands out for more than just the relationships the coaches have worked hard to build over the last year.

Lucas lives in Arizona now, but he grew up in south Florida. His father attended Miami, so the Hurricanes have been a school the five-star recruit has tracked since early childhood.

“I have followed Miami for as long as I can remember,” Lucas said. “My dad went there, and I lived in the Fort Lauderdale area, so I know a lot about Miami. I like their history, I like the area and it is a school I have always liked.”

Lucas knows he will get to a game in Coral Gables this fall, but he is not sure of the date yet.

All about the fit

Visits will be important and relationships will play a role, too, but most important is the fit for Lucas when he makes his decision.

“It is not so much about who the best team is, or a specific atmosphere, but it is about the fit,” he said. “If it fits like a glove, then it is the right school for me. I will be looking for the fit on the field, with the team, with the coaches and with the environment. The perfect fit will be what I am searching for this fall.

“Other things will make an impact on my decision, but the overall fit is most important.”