Travis Lewis Is Still Breaking My Heart
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October 27, 2008 by
When NU fans and recruiting zealots - myself included - got all fired up at the prospect of the Huskers landing much ballyhooed cornerback prospect Reggie Smith in 2005, we just couldn't help ourselves. When he chose Oklahoma over Nebraska at the last minute, it was crushing. I should have learned my lesson. But, when another amazing prospect verbally committed to NU two years later, I again bought in. I coveted the chance to see Travis Lewis in Scarlet and Cream. Again, Husker hearts broke when the player chose Oklahoma instead. Lewis' stellar performance at OU and the fact that NU must face him Saturday aren't exactly making it any easier.
As a prospect, Lewis had all the markings of a can't miss kid. He had great measurables, particularly his speed. He played against good competition in high school. He was recruited by teams around the conference and country. Guess what? He's living up to that potential.
Now 6-foot-2 and 232-pounds, Lewis leads Oklahoma with 83 tackles. Against K-State last week, he had 15 tackles (15!) and intercepted two passes. The kid is a stone cold player and arguably one of the best defenders on a talented OU team. Stoops loves him, and he should. All of this from a redshirt freshman campaign. Ugh.
Now, my beloved Huskers will need to face Lewis the tackle machine straight up on Saturday. With each big play, I'll probably regret my little man crush more. Or, maybe it will just validate my feelings and I'll end up all conflicted and curled up in a ball on the floor.
Seriously though, this reminds me of two of the most important maxims of following college football recruiting (while staying sane). 1) Nothing is binding until signing day, so don't get to emotionally invested, especially with one particular player. And 2) it is vitally important to beat your conference rivals when you go head-to-head for certain players. Because the only thing worse than those kids not playing for NU is the Huskers having to play against them several times in their career. It's enough to break a guy's heart.
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James Moore Oct 28 08
Darren of all the articles written here this one in some odd way strikes closest to home. I remember looking at film, the numbers, and the speed and thinking that if the previous regime could get THIS kid, and DEVELOP him, that man he could be something. . .
Of all the players that decommitted from us over the years this one was the guy I wanted the most. When they play defense you cannot help but notice this guy, the range, the speed, the instincts for the ball, and the ability to tackle in space. I believe that guys like Lewis are the future for the LB position in college. With the emphasis on the spread and being able to play in space why not come back 180 degrees and start overloading on recruiting TB's knowing that some of them will become LB's? After all another TB SHOULD be able to run down another TB in a one-on-one matchup. . .
carlinthemarlin Oct 28 08
This is the guy I always think of when people say Callahan didn't recruit speed. He did, he just didn't land it very often.