The impact of Florida State landing 2023 OT Lucas Simmons
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Monday’s commitment of 4-star Clearwater, FL offensive tackle Lucas Simmons is a huge win for Alex Atkins and the Florida State program.
The work that Alex Atkins and Mike Norvell have done to flip the offensive line room has been tremendous. The Seminoles haven’t recruited the trenches at a high rate in a long, long time.
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While there have been great pieces added to the team, the one piece that’s been missing is a young, blue-chip true left tackle. Landing Lucas’ commitment fills that need in droves.
FSU beat out Tennessee, Florida, and USC for arguably the tackle with the most upside in the 2023 class. Simmons has seen rapid development since committing to football after moving to the US from Sweden.
He fits today’s left tackle mold. Tall, lean, and the ability to move really well are calling cards of elite left tackles. Growing up in Sweden playing handball, soccer and basketball allowed Lucas to develop great feet and agility, two starting points on why Lucas has so much potential and why he’s such a massive haul for FSU.
6-foot-7 inches, 300 pounds, and an 82-inch wing span are tremendous tools for Atkins to develop. Lucas won’t be a day 1 starter unless his rapid development blossoms even further during his senior year. That’s one reason why the staff has hit the portal so hard. But, the tools are there for Simmons to be a 3 to 4-year starter for the Noles.
His long reach and agility allow him to get his hands on the defender quickly. His footwork allows him to cover a ton of space, so speed rushers will struggle against him because he can cover so much ground. He’s not afraid to get aggressive and shows flashes of physical dominance. Simply put, this is an exciting commitment for the staff.
Landing one of the state of Florida’s best players was much needed for this program. Florida has landed some quality in-state targets recently, and USC is recruiting like USC should. Tennessee, the program that gave FSU the biggest challenge to landing Lucas, is also recruiting well under Josh Heupel. Lucas’ father played with him at Oklahoma in the early 2000s.
Simmons makes an overhauled offensive line potentially great in the next several years for Atkins and FSU. He's a unique prospect that is super unfinished, but in his short time has shown that he’ll be an NFL tackle if he puts in the work. Simmons was high on the board for this staff, and they made it happen. Landing one of the most important recruits over the past three years is a job well done by Coach Atkins as he remains one of the nation's top recruiters.
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