High School Football Player Spotlight: Lincoln Maggard anchors Mica Mountain’s O-Line and D-Line

Not because he’s ashamed of his height, the Mica Mountain High School standout just doesn’t want the universal reaction when folks his age hear 6-7.

It’s hard to explain the 6-7 phenomenon, but the kids go crazy when they hear it — or at least they did a year ago.

“Unfortunately, I use a number other than 6-7 for that reason,” Maggard said. “My buddies don’t. When people ask me how tall I am, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m 6-6, 6-8.’”

The 6-7, 285-pound Maggard (pronounced muh-guard) is one of the biggest offensive linemen in Southern Arizona and is Mica Mountain’s starting right tackle and defensive tackle.

Mica Mountain, the back-to-back Class 4A state champions, are undefeated (5-0) at the halfway point of the season and look to be on track for a third consecutive state championship.

“So far, we’re off to a better start than last year,” Maggard said. “We’re really well-connected as a team. I feel like we’re going to keep rolling.”

Growing up in Tucson, Maggard was always athletic, “but I never committed myself to a sport,” Maggard said.

“I had a little bit of height on me, but I was a skinny kid,” Maggard said.

Slowly but surely, the weight started to match the height and the lanky frame evolved into a lineman’s body. Maggard played defensive end when he first started playing football in the sixth grade, and once he added weight, he was moved inside to defensive tackle, “causing chaos up the middle,” as a sophomore at Mica Mountain. Mica Mountain eventually made him an offensive tackle, “‘because we think you can be a dominant offensive tackle,’” the Mica Mountain coaches told Maggard.

Maggard, a 2028 recruiting prospect, is receiving interest from Division I colleges and was recently offered a full-ride scholarship to play at Northern Arizona and UTSA. The Roadrunners currently have Tucson native and former Salpointe Catholic offensive lineman Jonah Miller. Maggard took an unofficial visit to the UA for the Wildcats’ season opener against NAU.

Offensive linemen aren’t traditionally featured in our high school football player spotlight series, but we figured we’d buck that trend this season. Maggard was on ESPN Tucson’s “Spears & Ali” this week. Here’s how it went:

How much do you emphasize pad level at your height to make sure you don’t lose leverage in one-on-one battles with defensive linemen?

A: “You gotta stretch the hips a lot, I’ll tell you that. You’ll see a lot of guys and it’s natural for them, but I had to train my body, because it was natural for me to stand up. I worked on it and I feel like I’m a lot better now. But it’s definitely not easy.”

How is it playing for offensive line coach Richard Sanchez, who led Sunnyside to a state championship as a head coach and was recently selected to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Arizona Chapter?

A: “He’s a hardcore guy, but he’s so knowledgable of the game. He won’t ever stop coaching you and that’s the best thing about him. Our coaches always tell us, ‘The day your coach stops coaching you, that’s the day you need to be scared.’ That’s something he doesn’t do for anybody. I love the dude, love playing for him and I hope to get him another state championship this year.”

Not every kid gets to experience getting a phone call from a coach or a team staffer and receiving a scholarship offer to play football. How was that experience for you?

A: “I’m really just excited. I remember got off the phone with (NAU general manager Tim Roschmann) and was overwhelmed with excitement. We went out and celebrated. It was great. It was really great, because it’s not something that a lot of kids can experience, but wish they could, because it’s amazing.”

How was your unofficial visit to the UA?

A: “It was great. They treated me with so much love and welcomed me with open arms. I love their whole coaching staff. Coach (Josh) Oglesby, the offensive line coach, is a great guy and made sure to know that I’m welcome there.”

What’s next for you this season and how do you forecast what your offseason is going to look like?

A: “We’re not even halfway through the season and our goal is to play through December, so the end of the season is going to come later for us than most people. I look at my offseason coming up, it’ll give me a time to become bigger, stronger, more mobile and just be dominant my senior year. The goal is to get out to colleges and building relationships. With next year being my class graduating, it’s going to be fun to be a captain.”