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When a college football committed recruit goes the prep school route you are always left holding your breath.
It can go positively such as the recruitment of Blessaun Austin, or negatively like the saga of Jerome Messam.
With Eddie Lewis, the results are positive as the wide receiver stayed true to his commitment to Rutgers after prep school. An academic non-qualifier, Lewis spent a year at Milford Prep Academy in New York to garner eligibility status.
The Rutgers passing game struggled for a myriad of reasons and among them was wide receiver play.
The receiver corps however will get a nice boost with the signing of Lewis, who will enroll in January.
Lewis will provide speed, a former high school track star with 10.6 speed in the 100 meters, and plays bigger than his 6’ with a 34 inch vertical he displayed in track as well.
Out of high school, Lewis had offers from Iowa, Duke, Boston College, Indiana among others, and was a consensus 3-star rated recruit according the the recruiting services, Rivals, Scout, 247, and ESPN.
He’s back! @eddie_lewis9 reaffirms commitment to Scarlet Knights. We talk with Milford HC Bill Chaplick to see what #Rutgers is getting in Lewis.https://t.co/fA3yFEwKY9
— Richie Schnyderite (@RichieSRivals) December 10, 2017
Lewis’s re-affirmation also serves to counteract the blow of Ahmir Mitchell’s dismissal from the program in October.
From the Rivals article, Milford’s football coach offered this assessment of Lewis, "Probably the only thing that he has to work on is what you have to work on when you get to a 1A program. You get into a program where you work on your body, strength, your speed and quickness. He was high school kid coming in here, and he wasn’t in the shape he is in now. All it takes is a full year of that, and then he will be on his way. He will be a tough guy to cover in college; I wouldn’t want to cover him.”
Enrolling in January, gives Eddie Lewis the chance to work on these traits for almost 9 months so he can attempt to make an immediate impact.
Coach Ash has shown no hesitation to play freshmen, so Scarlet Knight fans could see Lewis on the field in 2018.