FSU football: Impact of Dontae Lucas no longer with program

FSU football lost a member of its roster Monday when former blue-chip offensive lineman Dontae Lucas thanked the coaching staff for his time in Tallahassee.

Dontae Lucas was the highest-rated offensive player in the 2019 recruiting class and a big win as the Noles struggled to land offensive linemen. He also hailed from South Florida, where the Noles wanted to establish recruiting ties again.

Lucas ranked as the No. 167 player overall and No. 9 offensive guard in the nation. However, his time in Tallahassee didn’t live up to the billing as he was likely thrust into the lineup prematurely because of need and didn’t have time to develop.

Lucas started seven games as a freshman and appeared in 11 games total. Lucas started seven games in 2020 and appeared in eight games but was not a starter in the season opener against Notre Dame or in Saturday’s game against Jacksonville State.

Impact

The FSU offensive line continues to be a work in progress, and while talented, Lucas usually offered more negatives than positives on the field. It’s not an ideal spot to lose a talented player, but a player must contribute if he wants to add value beyond a body at the position.

It was noticeable when Lucas was not on the released depth chart for the Wake Forest game Monday afternoon. Freshman Zane Herring lists as the backup at left guard behind starter Dillan Gibbons. Herring missed the 2020 season with an injury and has been working to get back on the field.

Herring is a former three-star recruit from the 2020 class. Lucas has had a lot of adversity in his time at FSU, on and off the field, and hopefully, he’ll find himself in an advantageous situation in the future. I thought his post on Twitter was classy, and wish him all the best.