Sterling senior OL Lucas Austin signs with West Virginia: ‘It was the best fit for me’

STERLING – On Wednesday at the Sterling Schools Foundation building in front of a crowd of friends, family, teammates and coaches, Sterling senior offensive lineman Lucas Austin made it official: He’ll play Division I football at West Virginia next fall.

The 6-foot-7, 265-pound left tackle was a stalwart on the Golden Warriors’ offensive line the past couple of seasons. This season, he was an IHSFCA Class 5A All-State honorable mention pick and first-team All-Western Big 6 pick on offense.

Austin put his pen to the paper at Sterling High School’s National Signing Day ceremony Wednesday.

West Virginia, the first Power Five program to offer Austin, reached out in late October. Austin received a second Power Five offer from Northwestern in early December and had about a dozen FCS and non-Power Five offers to consider as well, but opted to join the Big 12 team.

He said the people and culture are what led him to choose the Mountaineers.

“On the official visit, when I got there, I really felt that it was the best fit for me,” Austin said. “I really loved the people, everybody around. The players and the staff, it was really great people, so I really enjoyed that, and that’s really the main thing that stuck with me. The culture, too.”

Austin took an official visit to WVU on Dec. 8 and got acquainted with the city of Morgantown and the coaching staff, players and school facilities where he’ll take his biology classes.

Austin had a few in-state offers to ponder, including Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Northwestern but decided his best fit was in the Mountain State.

The Sterling senior said playing at a Power Five program wasn’t a key factor in his decision, but he is excited to compete at that level.

“The Power Five aspect didn’t really influence my decision too much,” Austin said. “It was just about the best fit, where I could see myself playing and where I feel comfortable being. But I’m really excited to play it because it just shows that the hard work pays off.”

Austin said he is viewed by West Virginia offensive line coach Matt Moore as a “long, athletic tackle” who can add weight and work well protecting the edge.

The Mountaineers finished with an 8-4 overall record and 6-3 record in the Big 12 in 2023 – the best season yet under fifth-year head coach Neal Brown.

In West Virginia, Austin sees a program on the rise.

“I think they’re going to keep going up with this 12-man playoff,” Austin said. “Hopefully, we can get in there and win some championships.”

Now that the college decision has been made, Austin can relax a little.

“I kind of feel relieved,” Austin said. “Now I’m just able to be a high school senior and finish out basketball, maybe do some track, so it feels great.”

Also signing for Sterling on Wednesday were baseball player Garrett Polson (Mineral Area College), softball player Sienna Stingley (Rock Valley College) and cross country and track and field runner Dale Johnson (South Dakota State University).