Paul Lucas slept well Tuesday night.
It was the kind of slumber that comes when someone comes to peace with a life decision and the mind actually stops working long enough to fall deeply asleep.
No tossing and turning. Only flipping, as it turned out.
The
Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) senior changed his decision Wednesday on National Signing Day from Arizona State to Oregon State to pull off one of the day's biggest surprises.
"A week and a half ago, I realized at the end of the day, it was going to be me who was going to go off (to school)," Lucas said. "I had to do what was best for me and I felt like that was Oregon State."
The other was
Corona del Sol (Tempe) defensive end
Cassius Peat, who switched from UCLA to Michigan State.
"I just wanted to weigh all of my options and make sure I made the best decision at the end of the day," Peat said. "They want me to play outside linebacker. That's what they talked to me about. It's a great defense. It's a great team."
See the MaxPreps National Signing Day page to see where all Arizona players ended up
Caleb Peart, Hamilton
File photo by Orlando Ramirez
For the most part, the state's top recruits stayed true to their declarations –
Pinnacle (Phoenix) quarterback
Brian Lewerke (Michigan State),
Hamilton (Chandler) defensive end
Caleb Peart (Vanderbilt),
Saguaro (Scottsdale) receiver
Christian Kirk (Texas A&M),
Centennial (Peoria) star
Dedrick Young (Nebraska) - as Arizona continues to get more attention outside of the state borders.
"There are a couple of us going to the SEC with Kirk going to A&M," Peart said. "I watched (teammate) Qualen Cunningham go out of state (Texas A&M) last year and it showed me if you work hard you can go anywhere."
The in-state schools snagged a fair share of top prospects as well with
Chandler quarterback
Bryce Perkins,
Williams Field (Gilbert) offensive lineman
Cade Cote and
Gilbert offensive lineman
Steven Miller headed to ASU, while
Campo Verde (Gilbert) lineman
Finton Connolly,
Chaparral (Scottsdale) tight end
Keenan Walker,
Tucson High Magnet School safety
Demetrius Flannigan and
Boulder Creek (Anthem) lineman
Nathan Eldridge are headed to Arizona.
The biggest buzz might have come from FCS school Northern Arizona, as eight in-state recruits are headed to Flagstaff, including three-star recruits
Salpointe Catholic (Tucson) linebacker
Taylor Powell and Saguaro safety
Kamron Johnson.
"I think NAU did a great job recruiting this year," Hamilton coach Steve Belles said. "They came in and kicked butt. You couldn't say that five or 10 years ago. From what I've seen they get an ‘A' for Arizona recruiting."
For some the decision happens early, like
Nick Carman of Mountain Pointe,and they stick with it through and through.
For others, they waver, they fight the decision and they toss and turn. Until it becomes clear.
And that's exactly why Lucas ended up at Oregon State.
"I still liked ASU," Lucas said. "I just felt Oregon State was the best fit for me. I didn't want to have any regrets or second-guess myself."
Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic and current Prep Sports Director for 1013 Communications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.
