College GameDay feature spotlights Georgia TE Lawson Luckie’s powerful bond with disabled younger brother
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College GameDay might have been in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning for the Notre Dame-Pitt showdown, but the pregame show’s heart was down in Athens, where Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie had a powerful story to tell.
The Bulldogs junior tight end could have gone most anywhere he wanted to play his college ball. But the native of Norcross, Ga., decided to stay in-state and play at Georgia so he could be close to his younger brother Cannon, who is disabled. Cannon is missing a portion of his brain, and rather than go to a far-away college where he couldn’t be near his little brother, Lawson believed it was best to play down the road at Georgia.
“At the end of the day, I need to be close to home,” said Lawson in the heartfelt feature story that aired on Saturday morning.
Lawson Luckie and his teammates will be playing in a very big football game on Saturday night, when No. 5 Georgia hosts No. 10 Texas in a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC. These are the moments why Lawson opted to stick close to home and play in Athens, and he’ll be playing for his little brother Cannon in primetime like he is every time he suits up for the Bulldogs.
Knowing Cannon would not be living a normal life, as his mother, Hillary Luckie, explained in the feature, it was important for big brother Lawson to be near him for any kind of support he could lend. It was the ultimate show of love and unselfishness from Lawson, who has been in the Georgia program since 2023.
During his recruiting process, Lawson was getting offers from many schools. But with his choice to play in Athens, Lawson could get home to see his brother whenever he wanted and Cannon could come see his big brother play at Sanford Stadium, which the ESPN feature showed.
The Luckie brothers’ bond is tight and full of love, and here is the full video of the emotional feature story:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
