MI RB Juwan Lewis nominated for U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Submitted by Dilla Dude on

Muskegon's Juwan Lewis nominated for U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Per Muskegon Chronicle:

"Muskegon's Juwan Lewis is one of nine Michigan seniors nominated for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He is one of 440 national nominees, 90 who will be selected and invited to play in the nationally-televised bowl on Jan. 7. The selection process begins in September and ends in early December. Lewis earned Chronicle All-Area honors as a junior running back after rushing for 1,024 yards and 12 TDs."

Went to HS with him my senior year. Great kid with a good head on his shoulders. A big, strong bruiser with great speed, he and Northfleet are the top RB's in the state. Don't think he's received an offer from UM, but it would be great to see him in Maize & Blue.

lukepanici

May 17th, 2011 at 11:54 AM ^

i wouldnt say he has great speed, but he is definitely a strong built, tough runner who gets a lot of yards after contact. Fringe guy as far as getting a Michigan offer but I will be rooting for him, he goes to school in my town as well

Dilla Dude

May 17th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^

I think he's pretty fast, ran a 10.8 in track last year and went to state. Probably doesn't have elite speed but he'll run away from most defenders. Played in the OK-Red, the toughest conference in the state along with the Catholic League, so he's had healthy competition.

Random: @Panici?? You wouldn't happen to be related to a Joe Panici, would you?? He was my favorite middle school teacher at Bunker!!

@jmblue yeah, Muskegon runs a triple-option veer, so the QB, RB, and Slot all got a substantial amount of carries. The QB was only 5'7, and ran way more than he should have. Lewis did have a 25 carry, 221yd performance in the playoffs though.

 

Koyote

May 17th, 2011 at 12:52 PM ^

Good to see so many local guys getting attention.

Rivals and Scout have only Eastern and Western offering this kid currently. But if he is being nominated for an All American bowl, I'm sure there will be some offers rolling in for him.

WolvinLA2

May 17th, 2011 at 1:03 PM ^

After checking the MHSAA track page, Juwan Lewis did not qualify for the state meet in the 100m, but he did in the 200m, where he placed 20th with a time of 23.03.  This is not bad for a HS sophomore who weighs over 200 lbs, but it's not elite speed either.  For reference, Kevin Grady was about a half second faster in this event, and weighed about 225 doing it. 

If by the time Lewis is a senior he's 10-15 pounds heavier and running with the big boys in the 100 and 200, that's a big back with big time speed.  For reference, Thomas Rawls placed 10th in the state in D2 in the 100m as a junior, less than a 10th of a second from making the finals.  This is also not elite speed, but it's faster than Lewis (who didn't even run the 100m at state) and Rawls is bigger.

EDIT:  Although they were at different meets, Rawls ran a faster 100m than Dennis Norfleet, the 2012 speedster from Detroit King.  By about a tenth of a second.

Dilla Dude

May 17th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^

Oops, my apologies. I thought he qualified for the state meet last year, must've mistaken it for the 200. Yeah he doesn't possess elite speed but he's usually the fastest player on the football field. Just seems like the type of RB Hoke & Co. would be looking for.

His stock will continue to rise as he performs at more camps and as soon as his senior season gets underway. I hope UM shows interest in him soon, otherwise MSU or OSU might swoop in.

Frank Drebin

May 17th, 2011 at 1:22 PM ^

OSU is not going after this guy. They already have 2 RB's signed up in this class and they are not going after a mid level recruit, especially if sparty hasn't even offered yet. Oh, I forgot, MSU is recruiting nationally now. I could see a program like IU or NU offering this kid. He may even fit in with Illinois, as they like their big backs there.

Dilla Dude

May 17th, 2011 at 1:34 PM ^

I have the feeling he's going to blow up his senior season, kinda like Thomas Rawls last year. Howeva recruiting sites will probably give him 3 stars, MAYBE a low 4 idk.

Personally I think he's worthy of a low 4, but i'm kind of biased seeing as he's one of my friends. haha

I hope he makes the final cut for the All-Star game. It'd be a great experience for him after all his hard work.

WolvinLA2

May 17th, 2011 at 1:57 PM ^

Yeah - this guys not gonna get an OSU or UM offer, but maybe a low BT offer like Indiana or Purdue. I could see Iowa even taking a kid like this. It's nice to see a west michigan kid get some recognition, but he's a bit below that level, IMO.

Dilla Dude

May 17th, 2011 at 3:08 PM ^

Yeah, don't mind me. I'm just being overly optimistic. It'd be great if he got an offer from UM, but regardless, whoever signs him is gonna have a special player, preferrably not MSU.