Lucas Jeff graduated Caringbah High in 2018 and took a gap year to focus on training and to pursue his American football dream.
This is an uncommon dream in Australia, but the now 19-year-old is living in Lbeck, Germany and playing American football for Lbeck Cougars.
He said the German league is arguably the best junior league in the world, and he is excited to be there to get better and to attract offers to better colleges or European senior teams hopefully.
"The season here has been pushed back due to coronavirus concerns, but we will still get a season- when it starts is the uncertainty.
"Nevertheless, this will be a great experience and opportunity for me and will hopefully act as a springboard for better things in the coming years," Jeff said
Lucas came from a rugby background and played for 10 years to the age of 17.
Getting bored he decided to try American Football for the sake of trying it, and he loved watching it on TV.
"Its the best decision I've ever made, my teammates, coaches and I realised that I had a future in this sport.
" When I was 18, I was encouraged by my coach to try out for the NSW U19 squad that would compete in the Junior National Championships-and I was selected.
"From that tournament, I was selected for the Australian Outback U19 squad and I wanted to attempt to get recruited to play college football or semi-professional football in Europe," Lucas said from Germany
After the NSW club season Lucas was awarded Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year for the Sydney Uni Club he played for,and was subsequently signed by a German junior football team, the Lbeck Cougars U19's and flown over to play football for the 2020 season.
" The only thing that has got me where I am is hard work and trust in myself and the process."
What Lucas hopes to achieve is to play well enough this season in Germany to attract some US college attention, because playing college football and getting to the United States is the dream for all Australian Gridiron players who take the sport seriously.
"There are exciting times are ahead I just have to work even harder than I did to get here," Jeff said.
