Lucas Dunker Jr. hasn’t had a lot of luck in his college football career of late.
He enrolled at Garden City (Kansas) Community College in 2020, only to see the season postponed because of COVID-19. He transferred 13 months ago to Washington State University and walked on the football team.
That didn’t work out either, so Dunker made the decision to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal in the hopes of finding something better. The portal helps student-athletes manage the process and allows prospective coaches can search for potential recruits. More than 15,000 athletes accessed the portal in the first year of its existence.
“Entering the portal was a hard decision but Pullman just didn’t feel like home,” Dunker said. “I had a great year and met friends that I’ll have for life. But my mental state was and has been in question for the past year. With that being said, the guys and coaches here are a special group that I’ll always remember and cherish the moments we had together.”
Dunker has drawn some interest from NCAA Division II programs and some from so-called NCAA FBS (Football Subdivision, formerly NCAA Division I-A) schools.
“A couple of FBS schools, but I can’t spoil that quite yet,” Dunker said. “But if I was to pick a school that I could finish out my degree and ball out, it would be at Arizona State University. It’s been a dream of mine to play there. But things just hadn’t worked out that way. But it’s a new shot and a new opportunity, so I hope I can gain some interest in Arizona.”
In his senior season at Frederick, Dunker averaged 60 yards a kickoff on 92 kicks, 72 of which went for touchbacks. He also averaged almost 40 yards per punt on 14 punts. Six of those landed inside the 20-yard line. Frederick went 11-2 and advanced to the state semifinals before losing to Pueblo South by four points.
“The process could be two weeks or two months. You really have no idea what’s ahead, which is scary,” he said. “But I put my faith in the man upstairs because He already knows my path and what’s best for me.
“Lastly just a big thank you to anyone who has supported me along this long and crazy journey.”