Speaking publicly about his just-signed quarterback recruit during a Signing Day interview with the Big Ten Network, Rutgers coach Chris Ash said Johnathan Lewis “can throw the ball 80 yards down the field.”
“He’s big, he’s fast … I like the fit that he has for our offense,” Ash said hours after the St. Peter’s Prep senior’s signature rolled through his office fax machine. “He’s a very exciting player.”
After the BTN’s Mike Hall pressed Ash on Lewis’ ability to throw it 80 yards, the Scarlet Knights coach offered a bold comparison.
“(Lewis) has a strong arm — he reminds me a lot of Cardale Jones,” Ash said, referring to the former Ohio State quarterback who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
The funny thing about the Johnathan Lewis-Cardale Jones comparison? Lewis has heard it before.
“A lot of people say that,” said Lewis, who pointed to a Bleacher Report article from last summer as the point where the comparison took off.
Ash’s 1st comments on Lewis
The comparison makes sense on many levels. One look at Lewis’ game film will tell you that. Both quarterbacks are dual-threats in the mold of a collegiate tight end, blending the ability to wing it deep down field with an uncanny strength to barrel opposing defenders over in the gun-run game.
Johnathan Lewis TD run
“He’s very agile, he’s a young man who can run, he can throw it,” Rutgers offensive coordinator Jerry Kill said during a Signing Day event last week. “He’s got the size and physicality to have a chance to play early. We’ll see. But he’s one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the country as a dual-threat quarterback. He’s definitely going to be a play-maker.”
Kill plans to feature elements of the spread offense for Rutgers, which could rely on Lewis, a 6-3, 225-pound signal caller, who earned a spot on the NJ.com All-State first team following a senior campaign in which he threw for 1,557 yards, ran for 992 yards and combined for 31 touchdowns for St. Peter’s Prep.
“Coach Kill is bringing a few things that they did with the K-State offense,” Lewis said. “They do a lot of spread. It’s close to what (former Rutgers offensive coordinator) Coach (Drew) Mehringer did last year, but with Coach Kill’s little tweaks to it, he said he has a plan for me. I’m able to come up as many times as I want, (watch) their practices to get more acclimated. I do plan on getting to every spring practice that I can.”
One 10-minute conversation with Lewis and it’s clear he’s intent on winning the starting job once he arrives this June. It won’t be easy. In addition to overcoming the typical growing pains freshmen experience in their first taste of college football, Lewis will have to beat out five-game starter Gio Rescigno, sophomore Tylin Oden and fifth-year senior Zach Allen.
“I’m going to be there a lot so I’ll be able to learn the plays as they practice (in the spring),” said Lewis, who stiff-armed scholarship offers from Boston College, Georgia, Iowa, Temple and Wake Forest to sign with Rutgers. “(Winning the job) is very realistic to me. I’m a born competitor. I compete every day, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing. There’s only one goal in mind — to win the starting job. So I’m going to compete every day that I have before the season.”
His offseason routine includes three days of grueling workouts to shed body fat while maintaining his 225-pound weight, and two days of throwing with his personal quarterback coach, Madei Williams.
“John fits the mold as far as what Rutgers and Coach Kill are looking to implement into that program because he’s someone that can be that polished pocket quarterback, but has the ability to lower his pad level and run downhill like a running back,” Williams said earlier this winter.
Lewis gets head start at RU
Heading into his junior season, Lewis took over for Brandon Wimbush — a redshirt sophomore at Notre Dame who is the favorite to earn the Fighting Irish’s starting QB job this fall — and he combined for 3,226 passing yards, 1,493 rushing yards and 58 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
“My sophomore (into junior year) led to a big turnaround because I knew that with Brandon leaving I was going to be the one that would be starting the next season,” Lewis recalled. “I was still skinny at the time. So I made the decision to bulk up so I would be less prone to getting hurt and I would be able to last with all the hits coming my way, especially being in the conference that we play in.”
Lewis has been playing organized football since he was 6-years old, initially starting as a wide receiver and a kicker before moving to quarterback when he was 8.
“Ever since I started playing football I had the goal of playing in college and my dream was to play in the NFL,” he said.
As for his primary goal now, Lewis said, “My dream now is to just make my parents proud of me.”
Johnathan Lewis of St. Peter’s Prep talks Rutgers, National Signing Day
Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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