From lacrosse to football, Villanova’s Lucas Kopecky continues to make an impact

Four years ago, Lucas Kopecky came to Villanova as a highly touted lacrosse recruit who would play for the Wildcats as a defensive midfielder and faceoff specialist.

But this year, his graduate season, Kopecky returned to Villanova as a wide receiver on the football team.

During his lacrosse career, Kopecky appeared in every game for Villanova, and as a senior in 2024, he became a four-time award recipient on the Big East all-academic team. Yet after a successful four years that ended in the Big East final, Kopecky hadn’t lost sight of his initial aspiration of playing football for the Wildcats.

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Although Kopecky arrived at Villanova during the 2019-20 season as a preferred walk-on for football, he had been recruited by lacrosse coach Mike Corrado to be a dedicated lacrosse player. The football and lacrosse schedules conflicted because of the pandemic, so Kopecky had to put football aside.

“I still had a love [for football] my sophomore and junior year,” Kopecky said. “I wanted to play so bad. In college, I always kept a ball in my hands even when I wasn’t on the football team and threw whenever I had the chance.”

Kopecky finally received an opportunity to join the football team as a graduate player this season. So far, he has appeared in six games, averaging 24.2 receiving yards per game and scoring two touchdowns.

He’s expected to be featured this weekend when No. 13 Villanova (7-2, 4-1 Coastal Athletic Association) hosts North Carolina A&T (1-8, 0-5) at 1 p.m. (FloFootball) in its continued push to the FCS postseason.

At Montgomery High School in Skillman, N.J., Kopecky’s time was always split between football and lacrosse. He led his lacrosse team to a state championship and also set multiple school records as a wide receiver on the football team.

Last season at Villanova, Kopecky ended his lacrosse career by scoring his only two goals of the season in the Big East Tournament after spending most of the season as a faceoff specialist. Villanova lost to Georgetown, 11-10, in the championship game on May 4.

As he finished lacrosse season, joining the football team remained a flickering possibility. Despite not playing competitive football since high school, Kopecky decided to take a chance during his senior year. He started talking again with wide receivers coach Nate Pagan about walking on for his fifth and final year of NCAA eligibility.

On May 17, the day of Villanova’s commencement ceremony, Kopecky got the call he had been waiting for from head coach Mark Ferrante. The coaches recognized Kopecky’s persistence and enthusiasm. He was invited to join the team for offseason training on June 1 — just two weeks later.

“Coach Ferrante solidified [my spot on the team on] the day of my graduation, which was awesome,” Kopecky said. “It was definitely a nice graduation present. I’ve always wanted to play football, and now I’m here.”

Accustomed to the endurance level required of a defensive midfielder in lacrosse, Kopecky started transferring his agility and stamina back to the football field.

“[Kopecky] could run for days,” Ferrante said. “Obviously running up and down the lacrosse field, he’s well-conditioned.”

However, adjusting to the specialized skills of a wide receiver beyond learning the playbook proved to be a different kind of challenge. At first, Kopecky’s goal was to simply get on the field and play without any expectations of starting — or scoring touchdowns.

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Kopecky credited much of his development over the summer to the support of his teammates, especially fellow wide receiver Kenyon Miles and graduate quarterback Connor Watkins.

“All my teammates are so open to helping me, always giving me tips, telling me what I’m doing wrong, and I need that,” Kopecky said. “One thing I love about Kenyon is that he would always want to see me do well and push me to be better. Without him, I wouldn’t be the player that I am.”

The intense training and team camaraderie during camp helped Kopecky shake off the high school rust, progressing from a summer walk-on into a promising member of the wideout rotation.

Kopecky is not the only player making adjustments this season, as he is one of several new members of Villanova’s offense. The only returning starter among wide receivers is junior Jaylan Sanchez, who leads the Wildcats in receiving yards (363). Graduate transfer Devin Smith is second (306), with Kopecky third (146).

“I think the biggest adjustment is for Connor,” Kopecky said. “We’ve been doing a good job getting the extra time watching film with him, getting the extra reps. Our chemistry has definitely developed from the beginning of the season.”

Kopecky didn’t appear in the first three games, but his role on Villanova’s offense has developed since. He made his debut at Maryland on Sept. 21, when he had one reception for 9 yards.

Ferrante took notice of Kopecky’s progress in the last few games. Against New Hampshire on Oct. 26, he caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Watkins in the end zone on fourth down.

“[Kopecky] is starting to get a little more comfortable with the program and what we’re trying to do,” Ferrante said recently. “It’s resulted in him getting on the field more for us. So I think he’s doing a really nice job for us, and I think we will start seeing more of him each week.”

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