Eddie Lewis hopeful to chisel out role at receiver, special teams
Finding a good roommate in college is never easy. But for Eddie Lewis, he knew exactly who he wanted to room with when he got to South Carolina.
His pick? Juice Wells.
“He’d be in the crib making slick comments or whatever. Just trying to push my buttons,” Lewis said. “I don’t really know how to respond to him but he and I know we’re both dogs in a sense. And just like he was the number two receiver in the conference last year, trying to work to be one. I’m trying to be right there next to him, if not ahead of him. And I’m pretty sure he’ll say the same thing.”
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It was the competitive nature both shared that made Lewis want to room with the Gamecocks’ star receiver.
“We’re brothers at the end of the day. So we’re going to push each other. Just like I push him he push me,” Lewis said.
Just as Wells was last year, Lewis is the latest receiver transfer to join South Carolina. He’s been all over the east coast, playing at Rutgers, Butler Community College and Memphis, most recently.
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Lewis grew into his own with the Tigers last year, catching 42 passes for 615 yards and seven touchdowns, all career-highs. But he’s not just a receiver. He was also the team’s primary punt returner. He returned 27 punts for 255 yards and one score.
Lewis’ versatility caught the eye of South Carolina special teams coach Pete Lembo. Once he entered the portal, Lembo reached out and the two hit it off.
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“As soon as I hit the portal, probably about a little after four hours in there, I got a call from one of my former coaches that coached at Memphis asked me if I knew anything about USC,” Lewis remembered. “A few moments after that, I spoke to a friend of mine, Calvin Austin, that played with me at Memphis. He told me that he spoke to coach Lembo. Right after that, I wound up speaking to coach Lembo. … He is a special teams guy, I am a special teams guy along with playing receiver. It went well.”
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It wasn’t just Lembo who was intrigued by Lewis. Shane Beamer also liked what he had seen from his tape.
“Coach Lembo hadn’t coached him at Memphis but had some ties to the people at Memphis and got good reports back on him. Eddie came in and took some other visits and then came in here and decided to become a Gamecock,” Beamer said. “I think he will help us, obviously, from a depth standpoint. I think he has really good special teams ability as well from a punt return standpoint, kick return standpoint.”
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With spring practice around the corner, Lewis hopes to find a spot and compete with the unique skillset he has.
“I feel like I’m explosive,” he said. “I’m a playmaker at the end of the day. I take that to heart. Give me the ball in space and I’m going to make something happen.”
In addition to building connections in the receiver room, he’s also gotten to know his new quarterback, Spencer Rattler.
“Spencer was actually the first person that came up and spoke to me when I got here,” Lewis said. “It was a Wednesday, and we actually had throwing that day and I was in the indoor tying up my cleats. He came over to me and shook my hand and was like, ‘Hey, what’s up Eddie?’ From there, it has just been a great relationship, honestly. Get to speak and talk to him about football when I can, things like that. Cool guy.”
