Shawnee linebacker Dillon Lucas commits to Villanova

There was something about Villanova that felt right to Dillon Lucas. Some of it was the Wildcats' highly successful football program. Some of it was the school's academic reputation. Some of it was the campus life.

Most of all, Lucas said he felt an "energy" from the team that cemented his decision.

"I really wanted to get a sense of things from the players who are there," said Lucas, a two-time all-South Jersey linebacker from Shawnee who has committed to attend Villanova on a football scholarship.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Lucas plans to sign with the Wildcats on Feb. 2, national signing day.

Lucas made an official visit to Villanova last weekend and spent time with freshman defensive lineman Antoine Lewis, a Mainland graduate.

"I wanted to see what the players thought about campus life, the atmosphere at Villanova," Lucas said. "I could just tell how much they enjoyed the school and everything about it."

Lucas said speculation that Villanova might soon join the Big East Conference for football and raise the program to the Football Bowl Subdivision level was not a major factor in his decision. Villanova competes at the Football Championship Subdivision level and won the FCS title in the 2009 season.

"That would be wonderful, to be able to play against Big East schools," said Lucas, who hopes to major in sports marketing or sports management. "But that really didn't enter into my decision. It's more something that's in the back of your mind."

Lucas is the all-time leader in career tackles at Shawnee with more than 300, although he was limited to six games on defense by a shoulder injury in 2010. Lucas said he was rehabilitating his shoulder and expected to be 100 percent for the 2011 season.

Lucas also was involved with Duke, Buffalo, Pitt, Cincinnati and James Madison, among others, in the recruiting process.