Lucas Simmons is officially at Florida State Seminole. The early enrollee is considered to be one of the top offensive linemen in the 2023 recruiting class.
Simmons left his home country of Sweden to play high school football at Clearwater Academy International.
“They reached out to me on Twitter,” Simmons said. “I had a great coach, Dan Meyer, so he really took care of me, basically teaching me the basics of football. It’s so different in America than Sweden.”
Football wasn’t completely new to Simmons. His father played at the University of Oklahoma in the 1990s. However, Simmons got a later start than his new Florida State University teammates — not picking up the game until age 13 with a club team in Stockholm.
“I played everything: soccer, basketball, floorball, handball. Anything I could get my hands on,” Simmons said. “Basically, it came down to football, obviously.”
The Swedish offensive lineman moved to the Sunshine State and enrolled at Clearwater Academy International before his junior season. He had immediate success because of his size: six foot eight and 300 pounds.
“I was tall my whole life. I didn’t want to accept it,” he said. “I was the tall guy that wanted to play small. I didn’t want to play big. I played soccer, I played floorball, and I didn’t want to use my frame or strength. It took me a year into playing football—I kind of like this sport and I got to use my frame. There was this one time it clicked. ‘Oh, I’m so much bigger than this guy.’ It took off after that.”
With only a few years of football experience, he has the opportunity to tap his full potential in Tallahassee.
“I don’t doubt my talents,” Simmons said. “I know I have a lot to learn, but there are so many great people around me. Pick from every brain, basically.”
Florida State will hold its annual Garnet and Gold spring game on April 15.
