Football
- Title:
- Offensive Line
- Email:
- lorchard@semo.edu
- Phone:
- 651-2110
- Recruiting Territory:
- Mississippi
Former Southeast Missouri starting center Lucas Orchard begins his fifth year as the Redhawks offensive line coach.
Orchard moved to the full-time role after working two seasons as SEMO’s graduate assistant and one year as a student assistant.
Three of Orchard’s offensive linemen -- Nate Korte, Zack Gieg, Shyron Rodgers -- were named First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference. Gieg became only the third SEMO player to win the Rimington Award which goes to the top center in the Football Championship Subdivision. Carter Guillaume, a Second-Team All-OVC-Big South selection, landed a spot on the FCS Football Central Freshman All-America Team under Orchard in 2024.
Orchard’s offensive line led the OVC and ranked 29th in the FCS in sacks allowed (1.46) during the 2024 campaign. The Redhawks also picked up a league-high 306 first downs which rated seventh nationally.
A native of Vancleave, Mississippi, Orchard started every game of his two-year career with the Redhawks. In 2018, he was a Second-Team All-OVC selection.
Orchard transferred to SEMO after playing two seasons at East Central Community College. There, he played in nine games as a freshman and nine as a sophomore. Orchard earned Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges Second-Team All-State accolades.
