Eddie Lacy, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound four-star running back from Dutchtown High School in Geismar, La., finished his junior season with around 1800 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns. Lacy says he runs a 4.5 forty and has a 33-inch vertical jump. He can bench press 315-pounds.
"I have good vision and speed," Lacy said. "I'm able to get away from defenders. I move well and I try to play like Adrian Peterson. I have a lot of power too."
The one thing that Lacy admits he still needs to work on is his blocking. "I really need to improve my pass blocking," he said. "That's something I don't do a lot. I also want to improve my leg strength and have better drive. I plan on doing a lot of squats and strength training."
Lacy, ranked as the No. 17 running back in the country for the class of '09 by Scout.com, has been on people's radar for some time, but he finally received his first scholarship offer last week. Well, actually his coach did. "My coach said that the Oklahoma coaches talked with him and told him that I have an offer," he said. "They said they'll be sending it in the mail too.
"Oklahoma was one of my favorite teams because I love Adrian Peterson," he said. "He was my favorite running back and that was really the only reason I watched them. Now I watch him in the NFL and haven't seen Oklahoma play in a while. I know they have pretty good coaches and tradition. They have a good running game and I think I could do well like Adrian did."
Lacy's only other scholarship offer is from Minnesota. He says he favors LSU slightly over Tennessee, Oklahoma, Miami and Georgia, although he admits that the 'Canes and Bulldogs haven't started recruiting him yet. "I like those schools and my coach is gonna be sending out a lot more tape soon, so we'll see what happens."
The only school that Lacy has ever actually visited is in-state favorite, LSU. "They are only 20 minutes away," he said. "They always have a good program and I like that they spread the ball around and they run and pass. They are always a pretty balanced team. They aren't just one dimensional.
"They are close, but the distance isn't an issue," Lacy said. "I like the campus there and the coaches are great. They really give everybody a chance and play everybody."
Although they haven't offered him yet, Lacy admits that the Vols are another team he really likes. "I like their colors," he says jokingly. "I know you don't choose a school because of color, but I like 'em.
"Tennessee is a good team and they have great tradition," he said. "They've produced some great players."
With only a couple verbal offers in hand, Lacy says he plans on taking his time. "I'm gonna go through the whole thing," he said. "I want to see what all the schools have to offer before I decide.
"The main thing for me is finding a school that has good academic support and that has tutors that will keep on top of you and make sure you're doing your work," he admitted. "I’m not worried about the location or the distance or even the weather, but I'm not gonna go somewhere really cold like Michigan or anything."
He reports a 2.0 core GPA and a 17 ACT, which he plans on retaking. Lacy will be attending summer school. "I'm gonna try and make up some of the bad grades I got as a freshman."