Commitment breakdown: Anthony Lucas headed to SEC
Just a few days before National Signing Day, four-star defensive end Anthony Lucas released his final top five.
Alabama, Notre Dame, UCLA, LSU and Texas A&M made the cut for the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral standout.
Even though there were five remaining, in the final stretch before Wednesday it felt like this was a battle of SEC behemoths as Alabama and Texas A&M seemed to have an edge right down to the wire.
In the end, the Aggies won out as coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff are putting together one of the most impressive defensive recruiting hauls in recent memory.
WHAT TEXAS A&M IS GETTING
When Lucas turns it on, the four-star is one of the best defensive ends in the entire class. He has size, length, speed and surprising athleticism for a player his size. He will come off the edge and chase people down in the backfield or he can also overpower offensive tackles and drive them back to collapse the pocket. When it comes to elite defensive ends in the 2022 class, Lucas should definitely be mentioned in that upper echelon of players.
WHO IT HURTS
Alabama will be fine but the Crimson Tide did make the Scottsdale Chapparal standout a big-time target in this class and they felt like they had a fighting chance in the closing days before Wednesday. But the Crimson Tide slowed down late and this recruitment swung in A&M's favor. What makes it sting a little more is that Lucas chose another school in the SEC West so Alabama is going to have to scheme against him in the coming years. The Crimson Tide should be up to the challenge since they recruit elite players across the board but it’s still not an ideal situation for them right now.
WHY IT’S BIG FOR THE AGGIES
The rumor heading into National Signing Day was that this was a battle between Alabama and Texas A&M but word came out that it was actually Notre Dame that might have posed a surprisingly big threat because Lucas and his family are really drawn to the academic side of things along with football. For Texas A&M to not only hold off the Crimson Tide but also the Irish is a massive statement and a huge win for Fisher & Co.