Recruit Snapshot: Dylan Lewis
A true, lockdown corner, is one of the most prized players a defensive coordinator can get their hands on. The right attitude is as important as the skills and the technique to fill that role well. As Josh Heupel, Tim Banks, and Willie Martinez have tried to rebuild and retool the Volunteer defense, and the secondary in particular, they have prioritized finding prospects with that potential. The corner position continues to be a priority for Tennessee, as evidenced by the recent commitment of Dylan Lewis, a four star corner from Milton High School in Alpharetta, GA in the class of 2025.
Always Ready
Lewis certainly looks the part of a top flight corner. At 6’0” and 185 pounds as a junior, he is already a physically Imposing corner. Lewis drew multiple assignments as the Eagles visited rival West Forsyth on an October Thursday night, and he handled each of them well. Lewis backs down from no one. Whoever is lined up across from him is getting his best. Lewis, while immensely talented, plays within whatever the defense asks of him. If that means bailing late before the snap to disguise his coverage, play zone, and take away a quick pass to beat a blitz, he excels. If he is asked to get in a receiver’s face and play press man, he is at his best. When his coaches scheme the defense so that Lewis needs to set the edge in run defense foe the whole scheme, he does so with enthusiasm. Lewis is a complete corner that a coach can build a defensive scheme around.
Bring Your Big Boy Pads
Dylan Lewis will hit you in the mouth, help you up, and then do it again the next play. Lewis brings a physicality and toughness to his game that is rare among elite cover corners. If a receiver is matched up against Lewis for a night, he is in for an absolute barrage from Lewis as he attacks the run, jams him of the line, plays tight, physical coverage downfield, and hits far above his weight. Looking at Lewis, he is a stocky, thick athlete at corner. He almost looks to have more of a safety body type, with corner cover skills, but he likes contact as much as some linemen. Lewis brings a different attitude, and his consistent physicality sets the tone and the standard for his teammates by example. That constant pressure, the high motor, and relentless physicality give a scrappy nature to the way Lewis plays the game.
Lead From the Front
Lewis is an elite cover corner. He has the speed to run with Power 5 receivers, the make up speed to recover from mistakes, his technique allows him to stay in phase and contest balls, and he has excellent body control to challenge receivers for fifty-fifty balls. That physical, scrappy coverage is where Lewis will see his star rise next season and eventually at the next level, but it was a run support play that stood out on Thursday night.
Late in the third quarter, Milton had a commanding lead. West Forsyth had found some success with their quarterback run game, and the Wolverines were stringing a drive together against the Eagle defense. On a second and medium, West Forsyth went back to a quarterback run, this time toward Lewis. Lewis was quickly engage off the snap and was first pushed to the inside. There was a big hole outside Lewis, possibly enough for a touchdown run, but at least a long gain. Lewis was well blocked, the gsme was in hand, and he could have just given a token effort and given up the big play. Instead, Lewis drove into the receiver, pushing him back, making the quarterback have to change his angle for the corner. Lewis then fought through his block, and wrapped up the legs of a larger ball carrier for the stop. That kind of effort from Lewis wasn’t something he had to do. He could have skated by. He could have shied away from the contact, but that isn’t who Dylan Lewis is. He makes physical plays and plays wide open all time, setting his team’s defensive standard, and that speaks volumes.
A Block to Build On
Dylan Lewis is one of two players currently committed to the Vols in their 2025 recruiting class. Lewis is the kind of player that Tennessee can build a class, and eventually a defense, around. Like one of the cornerstones to the 2024 class, Carson Gentle, Lewis is an exceptionally physical, scrappy player that committed early and that Tennessee prioritized. The fact that Heupel and the Volunteer coaching staff seem to want to prioritize getting these physical, tough defenders in classes early is not an accident. Gentle and Lewis both demand respect from teammates and potential future teammates just by how they play the game. They are the kind of young men that can set a tone for an entire class. Tennessee’s defensive resurgence has come off of a rebuilt front seven so far, with the depth still not quite there in the secondary yet. Corner is a priority for Tennessee going forward, and Lewis gives the Vols a player that can fill that need, do any job asked of him, and be an important locker room leader. All this, and he has another year to get better. Watching Dylan Lewis should prove exciting as his career progresses.
