“Everyone’s excited for me,” Arciniega said. “I’ve always wanted it. I’ve worked my butt off to get here … It’s finally all paid off and everyone’s really excited for me.”
Arciniega will receive a full ride scholarship to play for the Wolf Pack as either middle or outside linebacker.
“They only have so many full rides to give,” Spanish Springs coach Scott Hare said. “They only have two linebacker positions this year. It’s one of those things that it shows that number one, he did the right thing.”
A perk for Arciniega is that he will still be with his friends and family.
“It’s close to home. It is at home,” Arciniega said. “I can stay close to my friends and family. I love the program and grew up around it. I love the coaches. They’ve been really good to me and made me feel at home during the whole recruiting process. It’s college football and it’s what I’ve always wanted to play.”
Arciniega sent film to a few other schools, including Oregon, Cal Poly, Fresno State and Portland State. Nevada was the first school to make an offer.
“I think it’s great,” Hare said. “That’s where he wanted to go. That’s obviously local, his local college and he grew up watching them. He’ll be able to stay home and play in front of his friends and family.”
Arciniega will attend summer training, and then gray shirt this fall.
“I can work out in the summer but I can’t practice,” He said. “The first semester I do everything with the team but I can’t practice. Second semester the clock starts for eligibility … Gray shirt gives an extra fall to mature and get to know the defense and get bigger and stronger.”
His career aspirations are to become a firefighter and he will study a path that will help lead him there. Arciniega said that he will red shirt in his first year and work at building up and becoming stronger.
Coach Hare believes Arciniega improved greatly between his junior and senior years, saying one of his best attributes as an athlete is his worth ethic.
“He’s really brought himself up from being a pretty average football player. He’s always been good within his own class,” Hare said. “This year he separated himself. He was a starter as a junior. He wasn’t abnormally big and he didn’t do anything you didn’t expect from an outside linebacker.”
Hare went on to say that Arciniega did not become complacent in his role as a starting senior.
“Luke wanted to be the best he could be,” Hare said. “His approach to the game is what makes him a pretty special player.”
Arciniega will officially sign with Nevada in early February.
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