Tennessee football makes cut for elite 2023 Florida OL Lucas Simmons
Josh Heupel’s offensive system is naturally going to draw top talent from that side of the ball to Tennessee football. Securing five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava for 2023 will only make them more attractive. Add in his experience coaching in Florida, and he could load up on elite offensive talent from that state.
The Vols took a step towards doing just that this week by making the top 12 for 2023 offensive lineman Lucas Simmons. A four-star across all services except for Rivals, where he is a three-star, Simmons stands in the range of 6’7″ to 6’9″ and weighs in the range of 295 to 300 pounds.
Joining Tennessee football on Simmons’ list include the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, South Florida Bulls, Michigan Wolverines, Penn State Nittany Lions, Pittsburgh Panthers, USC Trojans, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Baylor Bears, Arkansas Razorbacks and Oklahoma State Cowboys. He announced the schools Wednesday on Twitter.
After much thought and consideration I am blessed to announce that these are the 12 schools I will be focusing on for the remainder of my recruiting process. #Trenchmafia pic.twitter.com/P8L00mYi2E
— Lucas Simmons (@LucasSimmons55) March 23, 2022
Coming out of Clearwater Academy International in Pinellas County, Fla., which is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, Simmons would naturally be familiar with Heupel. After all, he at least spent two years in high school while Heupel was coaching the UCF Knights in Orlando.
Combine that with Heupel’s track record and the talent he just secured, and that’s why you could see the Vols becoming an attractive landing spot for Simmons. Even if Heupel’s scheme is more conducive to offensive skill players, linemen could benefit as well.
Given Simmons’ height, he could immediately provide value to the position. A few key starters will be gone either by 2023 or the next year as well that are currently on the roster, including Jerome Carvin and Darnell Wright, so more help will be needed up front pretty quickly.
Next. Five 2023 out-of-state recruits for Vols to pursue. dark
On3 has FSU as the favorite by a plurality to land Simmons with USC in second. The Rivals Fan Future Cast also has FSU as the plurality favorite. However, there are no 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, and there is no leader on the Rivals Future Cast, so Tennessee football has as good a chance as anybody.