On February 3, Senior Lucas Niang officially signed his National Letter of Intent, to play football for the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs.
Lucas, who was recruited as an offensive linemen, will join the team that finished 11-2 last season under head coach Gary Patterson as the 11th team in the country overall.
“It was just a feeling, from the moment I got there, I knew that I liked it and I knew the coaches wanted me,” Lucas said.
As member of the All-FCIAC and All-State team, Lucas made his first official visit down in November. “My official visit, I got there and I went to the Locker room and the tunnel, and I watched them [the team]run out. It was the Baylor game. I stayed and watched the first half and then I went to the players lounge, and after they won I was in the locker room. Later, I had dinner with the coaches and then I went with my host. The day after, I toured the school, met with the coaches, and went to Coach Patterson’s house. We then went bowling and after I left with my host,” Lucas said.
247sports.com has ranked Lucas as the Number 1 offensive tackle in Connecticut, the state’s number 3 overall player, and the number 49 offensive tackle nationally. All these tremendous accomplishments helped him earn a spot on the team, being TCU’s first ever signee from Connecticut.
Lucas’ fellow teammate, Senior Jake O’Neill, couldn’t be happier for Lucas and how far he has come throughout the years. “Lucas is going to TCU as an offensive tackle. He was a backup to someone freshman year. He has come such a long way and has improved on every aspect of his game,” Jake said. “TCU will be a great fit because their play style suits him well, and he will definitely enjoy their uniforms and style, much like the creativity he had in New Canaan.”
Along with his teammates, Head Coach Lou Marinelli couldn’t be more excited to see his former player excel at the collegiate level.
“To see where he came from, from a little boy in this big body, to where he developed into a man, now looking to go play with the best players in the country,” Coach Marinelli said.
Along with his athletic abilities, Coach Marinelli hopes that Lucas will bring his hard work ethics to Fort Worth this fall. “I hope that he brings the perseverance from what he’s learned here to be able to stick it out, because that’s a part of any of us being successful and getting through rough times,” Coach Marinelli said. “There’s gonna be a time when he looks at that stadium, all of those guys that were all that in Texas and all across the country and think ‘I’m just from Connecticut can I do this?’ I hope that he is able to fight through that from some of the stuff he’s learned here in New Canaan,” Coach Marinelli said.
