Transfer DL Anthony Lucas ready for fresh start at USC
After a tumultuous freshman year at Texas A&M, Lucas is grateful for a fresh start and Trojans coach Lincoln Riley is happy to have an intriguing athlete with a high ceiling
Adam Grosbard (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — Even from across the practice field, it’s not hard to spot new USC defensive lineman Anthony Lucas (#6). At 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds, he towers over his teammates, even at a position known for its size.
But Lucas has always been characterized as “can’t miss.” It’s why he was a five-star recruit out of Chaparral (Ariz.) High when he committed to Texas A&M.
“I saw the opportunity and I took it,” Lucas said. “Seeing the environment and culture that they had, I just wanted to come and be a part of it.”
Lucas was part of a record-setting recruiting class that was supposed to lift the Aggies to glory, but his time with A&M ended with less acclaim. He was one of four freshmen suspended due to a locker room incident following the Aggies’ road loss to South Carolina, a third straight defeat for the team.
All told as a freshman, he played in seven games and had seven tackles.
“The situation that went down over there, I didn’t feel like I fit in at the culture over there,” Lucas said. “I chose to remove myself from the situation. … Why am I going to elongate a stay at somewhere I’m obviously not wanted?”
Still, when Lucas hit the transfer portal, he was a natural fit for USC. From the West Coast footprint and a high-ceiling prospect, he filled a need for the Trojans after Coach Lincoln Riley was unable to add many high schoolers in his first recruiting cycle at USC.
Riley said the vetting process for Lucas did not look significantly different than any other recruit, but it helped to have offensive line coach Josh Henson familiar with Lucas from his time recruiting him to A&M.
“We felt good early on about the kind of guy that we were bringing in, the kind of player,” Riley said. “To this point, everything he’s showed us has backed that up.”
Lucas was impressed with USC’s 11-3 campaign in Riley’s first season at the helm, and he liked the connection he had with defensive line coach Shaun Nua from his original recruitment, describing the coach as a surrogate father. With the Trojans close to his Arizona home, it felt like a good match.
“It’s USC. Regardless of what football ends up being,” Lucas said, “a degree here means everything. You get your foot in the door anywhere.”
But the Trojan coaching staff is pretty bullish on what Lucas will be able to do on the football field.
“He’s intriguing, he’s exciting. He’s a unique athlete for his size. Just not many body types like that walking around and to have the athleticism behind it has been great,” Riley said of Lucas, who also plans on playing baseball for USC next spring. “His work ethic has been great, he’s really bought into everything we’re doing.”
And he arrives at USC a little wiser after his learning experience at Texas A&M.
“Just make sure you just surround yourself and make sure you’re always in a good place at the right time,” Lucas said. “Just make sure that you have a clear conversation with all of the coaches around and make sure I keep my head on a straight line.”
ocregister.com
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