MUS’ Roderic Lewis is No. 12 on Dandy Dozen
When he committed to Tulane in June, Roderic Lewis thought he found his college football home.
The three-star senior defensive back picked the Green Wave over Vanderbilt and Arkansas State. But Lewis said he was told by his recruiter in October that Tulane would be unable to take him in this year's class.
“Financially because of COVID, they couldn't take everyone in our class so they had to tell some people that they couldn't come,” Lewis said. “I had been committed to them for four months and it's like, ‘Hey all these other colleges stopped recruiting me because I committed to Tulane.' I could have gotten more offers and stuff, so it was kind of a messed up situation, but coaches are still reaching out so I just tell them what happened.”
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound safety is the No. 43 prospect in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite. He has offers from Arkansas State, Navy and Liberty among others. He's also No. 12 on the Commercial Appeal Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top 12 college football prospects in the Mid-south for the Class of 2021 as picked by the newspaper.
And he has two months to find a new place to play college football before he plans to sign in February.
The impact of an extra year
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted in August to give all fall athletes an extra year of eligibility in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That's a good thing for players who are already at their universities and want to return. But it presents new challenges for high school recruits as spots that may have been meant for them could be filled by returning players taking advantage of the new rule.
“I think that a lot of these kids in this senior class are in a little bit of a pickle because these colleges are in a pickle,” MUS coach Bobby Alston said. “They've given these kids another year of eligibility that are there and their roster limits and stuff are all messed up. The colleges, they've got their plans from two and three years out on how many kids they are going to recruit at each position. And now there's so much uncertainty.”
So now Lewis is reaching back out to coaches who offered him scholarships to see if they still have spots available. He said his recruitment is open but mentioned Arkansas State and Navy as two schools that he's considering.
“It's basically what coaches can make you laugh and relate to you the most,” Lewis said of virtual recruiting. “If I had to pick a school just off of coaching staff it would definitely have been Arkansas State. Their coaching staff is so great and (former Houston running back) Lincoln Pare has been helping recruit me there.”
Dad played at Memphis but Tigers haven’t offered
Lewis said that he began to love football at age 5 when his dad, former Memphis linebacker Rodney Lewis, introduced him to the sport.
But he said he doesn't have a Memphis offer even though some recruiting sites list him as having one. The Tigers have 20 commitments in the 2021 class, including a pair of local safeties in Ridgeway's Brandon Warner and White Station's Greg Rubin.
Lewis helped lead MUS to its second DII-AAA state title game appearance in three years. He had 53 total tackles heading into the championship game. He's been starting for the Owls since the end of his sophomore year.
“He's fast, he's quick, he's not afraid to hit you,” Alston said. “He makes tackles and he's got good ball skills. He's got all the physical attributes and he's an outstanding teammate.”
Lewis said that most colleges are recruiting him as a free safety. He said he's still trying to make the most of his recruiting situation, despite the uncertainty.
“I'm just trying to enjoy the process,” Lewis said. “I'm trying to see who is available and wants me to play for them. I still have some time between now and February.”