Decided to Fly: CJ Lewis

Decided to Fly: CJ Lewis

By Quinn Kelly

 

CJ Lewis

From: Hamden, CT

High School: Cheshire Academy

Position: ATH

Ht/Wt: 6’4” 200

Twitter: @SavageLew_14

Ratings:

ESPN Rating: 79, 3 star

247 Rating: 84, 3 star

Rivals Rating: 3 star

Highlight Tape:

High School Stats:

Lewis played both ways for Cheshire Academy, quarterbacking the offense and anchoring the defense as a defensive back.  Lewis threw for 1,350 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior season, while also rushing for five scores and helping out on defense with three interceptions.  He was praised for his ability to move the ball both through the air and on the ground.  The Eagles coaching staff will be looking for him to move over to wide receiver next year, however.       

Addazio’s Take:

“CJ Lewis, wide receiver, athlete from Cheshire Academy … just great athleticism. You’re talking about a big, tall, long, fast, great ball skills, great athlete, 6’4″ guy, reminds me a lot of Mike Williams from Clemson. I mean, that kind of potential … Size at that position, I think is a critical, critical deal.”

Our Take:

CJ Lewis is perhaps the most intriguing member of the recruiting class.  Lewis seems to be cut from the same cloth as Jeff Smith, a high school quarterback who will more likely shine elsewhere on the offense at the collegiate level.  The great thing about that is that with the Eagles’ newfound depth at quarterback, it is unlikely he’ll have to waste a season training/playing QB. Addazio spoke as the season went on about starting to dive into a set of plays that were specifically designed for Jeff Smith, and how excited he was to get into them after waiting with Smith filling in at QB and being injured himself.  We can most likely expect Lewis to get some looks from that section of the playbook immediately.  Couple him with Jeff Smith at that flux position, mix in a little two-headed monster in the backfield with Hilliman and Dillon and a pinch of late-season emergent Tommy Sweeney at tight end, and suddenly this Eagles offense looks dangerously versatile.

Lewis isn’t really a burner, but because of his size will still be able to play on the outside.  Having such a big target will be a huge help for whoever ends up being the first-year quarterback for the Eagles.

Another huge part of the draw with Lewis is that the Eagles were able to swipe him away from a Power 5 school, like they were AJ Dillon.  Lewis was originally committed Tennessee, but after de-committing from the Vols in November, he gave BC one of the best gifts of the recruiting season, committing on Christmas Day.  At the time, Lewis had three other offers and was said to have Penn State and Baylor making late pushes to land him.

While his positional ranking isn’t terribly important, as most scouting sites had him listed as a dual-threat quarterback, it is of note that ESPN had him as the fifth best prospect in Connecticut.  His commitment furthered the resurgent efforts of Coach Addazio to “fence off” New England.

With the way Scott Loeffler was beginning to open up the playbook towards the end of the season, it’s hard not to salivate at the possibilities with another wide receiver capable of throwing the ball in the offense.