Jeff Luc, Nation's Top Linebacker Recruit, No Longer Allergic to Weight Room

There was a time when the nation's top-rated prep linebacker was -- gesundheit! -- allergic to the weight room. Yes, it's true. A physically gifted Jeff Luc did all he could to avoid weight training when he first arrived at Treasure Coast High School, located on Florida's East Coast.

"When you've been strong your whole life, it's like what do you need weights for?" Titans head football coach Bill Kelley told FanHouse. "Jeff would get in the weight room and bench (press) because everyone wants to bench. He'd run and hide when it came time to do squats and leg work.

"I'd like to tell people he was allergic to the weight room."

Sniffles aside, that's certainly not the case any more.

Luc, a muscular 6-foot-1, 240-pound senior, is rated the country's No. 1 middle linebacker in the Class of 2010 by recruiting analysts at Scout.com and Rivals. com. Luc -- brace yourself -- has received more than 50 scholarship offers from coast-to-coast, including one from every BCS school.

Luc, also ranked as the Sunshine State's top player at any position, and is possibly the most physically superior linebacker in his recruiting class. He has impressive size, a compact, thickly-built body with long, strong arms to easily shed lockers. While he may lack great speed, Luc can close the gap on ball carriers -- he was clocked at 4.57 in the 40-yard dash at a recent summer camp at the University of Georgia.

Luc and the Titans are scheduled to participate in a 7-on-7 passing camp at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday.

"By far, Jeff is the most physically gifted football player I have ever coach," said Kelley, 47, a veteran coach from Oklahoma whose football program is heading into its fourth season at recently-built Treasure Coast High in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"Plus, Jeff's also as good a person as any I have ever coached. Everything is yes-sir, no-sir out of his mouth, his work ethic is fantastic, and he has really embraced being the leader of this football team the last six to eight months. You don't have to say anything in the weight room because Jeff is already on top of it if a kid is leaning over on a bar or sitting down. You don't have to say a word, it's really nice."

Kelley credits assistant coaches Irvin Jones (defensive coordinator) and Aaron Shephard (offensive line) for challenging Luc in the weight room when he enrolled at Treasure Coast as a freshman in 2006. The Titans struggled as a first-year program without any seniors, they won three games in Luc's sophomore season and just missed the Class 6A playoffs last season at 7-3.

Luc registered 119 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions, five forced fumbles and had four pass break-ups in 2008.

"When Jeff came to us as an incoming freshman, he already had a body of a man -- he has been incredibly blessed that way," Kelley said.

"Once he developed a taste for the weight room, he just exploded. His (strength) numbers are ridiculous and there's his work ethic. He just attacks his lower body now -- it has made all the difference. If you watch his highlight tapes you will see that he explodes through his tackles. He just doesn't finish, he explodes through the tackle."

Recruiting analysts also have done double-takes when watching Luc.

"He is the type of player that you do not see every year on the high school level," Chad Simmons, a national recruiting analyst for Scout.com., said in a recent scouting report of Luc.

"He looks like an NFL linebacker and he has the tools to play on that level one day. Many think he is a run stopper, but he has the ability to drop back into coverage also. He has good lateral movement, he gets down hill in a hurry, and he delivers a lot power in every tackle he makes."

Luc, who is just as impressive in the classroom with a 3.4 grade-point average, doesn't plan to rush his recruiting process. He relies on his family, specifically older brother Alex, for direction, which includes a path to the school's weight room.

"I am just taking things slow, still working hard, and looking at each school," Luc told Scout.com. "I am just going to take it slow. I will go anywhere to play as long as I am happy. I am not thinking about location of a school at all."