Lucas Wilder '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is Lucas Alan Wilder, but my friends and family call me Luke. I appreciate you taking a few minutes to gain insight into who I am outside my athletic stats and posted videos. I will also talk some football!

It has been instilled in me from an early age that integrity and character will follow me through life and always do the right thing even when nobody’s looking. I am grateful for the support and lessons my parents have taught me and to focus on what kind of man I need to be in the future.  My personal, academic, and athletic goals should always align with my values and I need to stay true to myself. I have further learned from high school to self-advocate, be a strong leader, and not allow my easy-going personality to be misconstrued as weakness. I know who I am, what I am capable of, but remain humble.  I refuse to have an ‘all about me’ mentality that so many teenagers and athletes fall into nowadays.  

Outside school and football, I enjoy working out, playing golf and have plans to get my third-degree black.  I earned my second-degree black belt in Wado Ryu Karate back in 2018.  I have been involved in martial arts since I was four years old and it has embedded in me many valuable takeaways, such as the meaning of respect, commitment, focus, and the importance of listening, just to name a few.  It has also taught me when I do face a difficult situation, to use that challenge as a growth opportunity. Although I participate in individualistic extracurricular activities, there is something special about being a member of a team, something bigger than myself, and working with others towards a common goal.

During the football off-season, I run track competitively and have since the seventh grade even placing sixth in the City (Nashville) for the 1600-meter race.  I plan to be on the track team through my senior year.  Track is important to me because it tests my mental toughness and competitiveness during a long race while tapping into a different mindset than football, not to mention physically strengthening my endurance.  

Academics are very important to me and I am fortunate enough to attend one of the top magnet high schools in the nation, Martin Luther King Jr Magnet High School in Nashville, TN.  It is known for its rigorous curriculum of all Honors and AP courses. For those students wanting to play football, my high school partners with Pearl-Cohn High School, a top tier 4A football team in the state of Tennessee.  I recognize this amazing opportunity as one where I can achieve academic success while playing for a team that has had many D-1 and NFL athletes on its football team.  

Now, let’s talk some football!  I have been lucky enough to play football since the fifth grade and have played several positions, such as safety, receiver, and even center but now I have finally found where I belong, placekicking and punting.  I have connected with these two skill positions in a way I haven’t with other positions, this has given me a renewed drive and motivation to play at a higher level.  I feel my connection with these two positions runs deep and only wish I had explored them earlier. What really surprised me when I started my kicking journey is that although I am right-handed, I kick left footed. I have discovered I really have a natural talent and am excited to see all my progress as I get older and stronger. 

Unlike in the past when I played other positions where I had a dedicated coach, kicking is a very independent position both on and off-season. This has increased my self-discipline and self-motivation to practice because my team is counting on me to come through at game time.  We do have special team coaches but I don’t get any direct coaching from them on how to improve my skills so I have taken private lessons with Justin Yoon, a recently graduated Notre Dame four year scholarship kicker, and will continue to do so, attend college camps as well as attend future Kohl’s Kicking Camps.  

I love the game of football and especially kicking.  I am confident that I will not only be an asset to a college or university football team with my athletic abilities, coachability and work ethic, but will also positively represent the team leading by example with integrity, moral character and respect for others.