Lucas Webb didn't like the direction his life was going.
So he decided to change it.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga safety rededicated himself to his Christian faith in the summer leading up to the 2015 football season. He continues to follow that path while also focusing on being a hard-hitting player who was named first-team All-Southern Conference by the league's coaches and third-team All-American by Lindy's magazine in the preseason.
UTC defensive back Lucas Webb (29) breaks away for a touchdown after intercepting the ball in the first half of the Mocs' FCS playoff football game against Fordham at Finley Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn."Hard times" would be an accurate description of what prompted Webb's life change. There were some things that happened in his personal life - including coming to grips with his feelings about his parents' divorce a few years before - that led to his decision to take a spiritual stand.
He said after a recent UTC football practice that since then he's been "growing, been learning more, been fulfilled."
"It felt overwhelming at times," Webb said. "But hard situations is where you grow, where you turn into what you want to be. It was a lonely feeling, and I didn't want to feel alone, and I can't do this alone.
"There were things I did that I've learned from, and I've changed some of the things I do now because I want to live a cleaner life and it's made me happier - not because I want to look better, but because I have come to enjoy it and I truly want to do better."
Before it mentions that he is "blessed to be a safety at UTC," Webb's Twitter profile says that "God is always the answer." After that is the verse Jeremiah 29:11, which reads, "For I know the plans I have for you."
He's been outspoken about his faith on social media, tweeting teammates encouraging statements or Bible verses at various opportunities. One of the people he's been seen engaging with is receiver Xavier Borishade, who visited UTC with Webb in 2012 when both were seniors in high school. They have been roommates since arriving on campus.
A two-time first-team All-SoCon selection and the No. 24 free safety prospect by CBSSports (No. 1 in the Football Championship Subdivision), Webb was named a preseason All-American by STATS in 2015 but was left off its postseason team despite two interception returns for touchdowns - a 35-yarder against Furman and a 71-yarder against Fordham in the FCS playoffs. He's tied for ninth all-time in UTC history in interceptions - with head coach Russ Huesman, coincidentally - and second in return yards with two seasons remaining.
"There's more that I can do to keep that status," Webb said. "There was preseason recognition last year, but for whatever reason they didn't see fit to keep it for the postseason."
And because of that, he vows to be better this season.
"I had to raise the bar," he said. "This whole offseason, spring and summer, one of my goals was I could tell the difference between redshirt freshman year and sophomore year. I wouldn't say I got complacent, but the level of work that we put in wasn't the same increase as it was the year before, and that's definitely something I wanted to focus on."
The Mocs coaches felt they had poached an under-recruited player in Webb in 2013 from Tuscaloosa County High School in Alabama. He performed so well as a practice player his redshirt season that he could have been pressed into action if needed. Instead, he continued to impress, to the point where he was all but a slam dunk to start at free safety the following season.
"Some people come in, they just have a maturity about them as far as handling business, absorbing information and being able to take the wear and tear every day that is college football," defensive coordinator Adam Braithwaite said. "Lucas has ability, but he has a maturity and accountability about him that makes you feel pretty comfortable."
In the second game of that 2014 season, Webb intercepted a pass and took it 37 yards for a touchdown in an eventual 23-20 loss to Jacksonville State. He finished that season with six interceptions, which tied for the SoCon record and also tied the UTC freshman record. With a 2015 that, in his mind, may not have been up to his standards - both individually and with the team - he's ready to get back to his freshman level this season.
Only an even better version.
"I just want to be the best I can be in all aspects," he said. "You can look at stats, at leadership, but I want to bring a different mindset. Instead of 'What can this team do for me?' or 'What can this sport do for me?' I want to focus on what I can do for this team.
"I really want to focus on being a positive influence, bring people up and be there wherever I need to be. I want to be able to coach up another player if I have to, or just be there to lift somebody up."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.