The expected departure of Jeff Luc came to pass on Wednesday, as announced by FSU coach Jimbo Fisher. Luc, of course, was a five-star that every school wanted and was pretty much the crown jewel of the Noles 2010 recruiting class. And then?
Then he slowly faded from view. When his name did pop up -- usually in the spring -- Luc was remembered as the chiseled-better-than-a-Greek-God LB with immense potential, his breakout season just around the corner.
Now he'll be lumped in with past phenoms who fizzled. Guys like Xavier Lee and Fred Rouse. But not for the same reasons.
Luc's failure to launch and eventual departure wasn't due to character issues or because he thought superior talent meant he wouldn't have to work that hard -- stuff that previous coaches overlooked in recruiting and couldn't correct later.
The reason, according to our source, is that Luc never really fit in at middle or weakside linebacker and clearly struggled to grasp the playbook. It's just stunning that a guy can't grasp how to play linebacker when his teachers are Hudson and Stoops. Both veterans and even younger guys got it. Luc couldn't?
His absence leaves only three experienced linebackers: Christian Jones, Vince Williams and Telvin Smith -- though the Nick Moody move should pay dividends.
But are the coaches worried? Naw, they're probably thinking what we're thinking: Better to give the young guys a shot at moving up the depth chart -- including incoming freshmen like stud Markuss Eligwe -- than waiting yet another year for number 48 to become the next Derrick Brooks. Here's hoping the light comes on for him at a new school in a different conference.
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