Lucky says NU a good fit
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
SAN ANTONIO — Marlon Lucky will move to Lincoln this summer from Los Angeles, a potentially trying transition for most 18-year-olds. Not this one.
"I know only about four streets in L.A.," the Nebraska football recruit said Thursday.
The Sunset Strip isn't among the four. "I don't get out a lot," Lucky said. "I really don't get around at all."
Lucky, a touted running back, will come to Nebraska with super-sized expectations from fans. After all, he's arguably the most coveted catch in the Huskers' prized 2005 recruiting class, the part of the program that's helping Husker Nation beat back the blues in the wake of a 5-6 season in 2004.
Those super-sized expectations for Lucky are in contrast to his miniscule ego, said John Barnes, head coach of the West squad that will face the East in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl high school all-star game at noon Saturday in the Alamodome.
"Marlon doesn't have any ‘big dog' in him," Barnes said. "I think he's going to be a great teammate, which is what I always look for first in a kid."
The 6-foot, 205-pound Lucky's explosiveness and blazing speed — he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds — will be on display in the nationally televised contest (NBC) featuring 78 of the nation's premier prep players.
After suffering through a bowl-less postseason, Nebraska gridiron fans at least have the U.S. Army game to provide hope, as the West roster features six players who have committed to play for the Huskers next season.
About 1,000 Nebraska fans are expected to be on hand Saturday.
Earlier this week, Barnes, head coach at Los Alamitos (Calif.) High, put his arm around Lucky and asked a question:
Why Nebraska?
"He said, ‘Because I'm not a city boy,' " Barnes said.
Lucky's peers at North Hollywood High have another question for him:
Why not Southern Cal?
"Some of my teammates, they love USC," Lucky said the 2004 national champion. "They're always asking me, ‘Did you see the (Orange Bowl)? Did you see the score?'"
Southern Cal thrashed Oklahoma 55-19 on Jan. 4 in Miami to complete the Trojans' undefeated season.
"I don't care about none of that," Lucky said. "I just want to go to a school that's coming back up and getting back to their regular thing — winning."
Lucky said he likes Lincoln in part because "it's not loud and crowded like California is."
After living in Dallas with his mother through the seventh grade, Lucky moved to Los Angeles to live with an uncle and a guardian. The two men still serve as his mentors and played a lead role in turning around his fortunes in the classroom, said Lucky, who boasted a B-plus overall average this past semester.
Back in Dallas, Lucky said, he generally behaved poorly. His mom asked him if he wanted to move to Los Angeles, and he thought it'd be a wise move.
It appears he was right.
Anthony Harris, an assistant coach for the U.S. Army West squad, speaks glowingly of Lucky. Harris is taking a break this week from his full-time duties at Campbell Hall High, a private school a few blocks from North Hollywood High.
Lucky often offers encouragement to the kids whom Harris coaches in the local Pop Warner League, Harris said.
"Marlon has a lot of integrity," Harris said. "He's a hard worker. He's someone who I feel would be a good mentor to young kids."
Of the four running backs listed on the U.S. Army West squad, Barnes said, Lucky is the best all-around player.
"If I had to pick one to take home with me, he would be the first guy," Barnes said.
Barnes' assessment raised eyebrows Thursday because the West roster also includes Jonathan Stewart Jr., ranked by Rivals.com as the nation's top running back; Jamaal Charles, regarded by many to be the best prep running back in Texas; and Jerrell Wilkerson, who scored a mere 54 touchdowns this season for Tom Clark High in San Antonio.
The four backs will rotate into Saturday's game, meaning Husker fans hoping for a 20-carry day by Lucky might be disappointed.
At Nebraska, Lucky hopes to continue in a multi-purpose role, something akin to that of Reggie Bush of Southern Cal, who lines up at running back and receiver while also fielding punts and kickoffs.
This much is certain: Lucky — Rivals.com's No. 2-rated running back — expects to make an immediate splash at NU.
In a mid-October game at Memorial Stadium, when Lucky visited the Nebraska campus, he heard thousands of fans chanting his name.
They apparently were hoping to make the big-time recruit from Los Angeles feel welcome.
Mission accomplished.
"That was great," Lucky said. "I loved it. I felt like I was at home already."
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