Lucas Vincent
#96 | 6'2, 305, Jr. | Olathe, KS
2011: 13 games, 7.0 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 PBU, 2 QB hurries
2012: 12 games, 2.0 tackles
2010:
RPT: You can't help but think that Vincent has become a forgotten man in this recruiting class. Vincent hopped on board with Mizzou WAY early, opting in favor of taking what I'm sure was endless amounts of grief from the Kansans that surrounded him, even as he helped carry his high school to a state title. It's not too frequent that you can bring in a guy blending his reported athleticism and his size -- generally it's one or the other. The onus is now on Pat Ivey (who, we should add, has a fantastic track record) to get Vincent to desired playing weight without sacrificing any initial burst. We know there are some recruits, especially on the D-Line, that never really pan out, but I feel cautiously comfortable saying Vincent will see the field for a significant number of snaps; I think the question is whether or not it will be sooner rather than later.
Bill C.: Since I mentioned it with Justin Britt on the offensive line, I should point out that Vincent is a nationally ranked heavyweight wrestler at the high school level, so you're pretty much guaranteed good strength and footwork with this one. He really might be able to make a quick impact in 2010.
2011:
Bill C.: FORMER WRESTLER ALERT! Ross and I were all sorts of excited about Lucas Vincent becoming, more or less, the Justin Britt of the defensive line. Vincent’s feet and overall strength were lauded, and he appeared to be one of the more high-upside kids in the recruiting class of 2010. Unfortunately, injuries sidetracked him just enough to assure a redshirt in August. We spoke above of a competition between Burge, Donaldson and Foster, but Vincent will have every chance to surpass all three of them.
2012:
The Beef: I have said to Bill C. before, and I believe I said it when talking about Justin Britt, but I will always love to have a wrestler on the football team. A heavyweight wrestler (if they are any good, and Vincent was) should have great hands and great feet. I think Vincent has grown nicely (since he would have been under 275 after his senior year of football to wrestle) and I do believe he is my pick to line up next to Richardson come opening day.
RPT: Hard to believe Vincent is only a sophomore. RMN has had high hopes for Lucas Vincent since the day he stepped on campus, and Beef mentioned many of the reasons why. If Vincent wins the other interior line spot, it’s exciting. If he doesn’t command that role, it’s very, VERY troubling, especially if Marcus Lattimore shows up at even 80 percent in The Other Columbia™ in late September.
Bill C.: With Richardson out, practice reports suggest that Vincent has easily been Missouri’s best defensive tackle this spring. He is beginning to put one early postseason question -- Who starts alongside Richardson? -- to bed. Now he just needs to stay healthy so we don’t find out just how much distance there is between the starters and the backups.
Bill C.: Takeaways from previous walkthroughs:
1. We repeat ourselves a lot.
2. Lucas Vincent is a former wrestler, and we like that.
3. We've been ready for Vincent to break out since he was a true freshman, "if healthy."
4. Lucas Vincent hasn't been able to stay very healthy.
Last year's torn pectoral muscle gives me the heebee jeebies, and it resulted in basically a lost year for Vincent. He played in all 12 games, but he spent a good portion of the season trying to recover a lot of upper body strength and never made it too far into the rotation. IF HEALTHY, he could still surprise us. He's still got size, a massive lower body, and, yes, a wrestler's footwork and hands. He does still have two years. But it's been a frustrating experience waiting for him to break out. (That means it's been an excruciatingly frustrating experience for Vincent himself.)
MizzouRugby: Make your likeness of next year’s copy of NCAA Football have a higher ranking than this years ... you wouldn’t want to waste your money right?
The Beef: Vincent was a pretty big prospect for the Tigers back a few years back, and now it is going to be time for that ranking to come through. Vincent MUST play a big role on the line this year. Now listed at 305, he is a space eater in the middle, and he is going to need to create some havoc as both a run stopper and someone who can maintain double teams.
countrycal: Well, he earned the starting spot beside Richardson last year and then lost it when he got hurt. Hoch passed him and he saw very little action. I have a feeling Vincent is ready for more playing time: but he is going to have to earn it with Foster and Brantley both wanting their own action. He will have to perform on a high level, and if he does the D-line may come out looking much better than people originally think – that is what I am expecting.