Lewis enjoys first trip to Gainesville

Despite never having seen the campus in person, C’yontai Lewis, felt comfortable enough to commit to Florida back in May.

Lewis worked out for the coaches during Will Muschamp’s football camp and he showed well at camp. A long, lean 6’4”, 211-pound tight end, Lewis had no trouble creating separation throughout the day and impressed the coaching staff.

“It was great. I went out there and killed the DB’s today,” Lewis said. “The coaches made me feel at home, I feel great about coming out here for the day.”

Lewis told us that his primary recruiter is tight ends coach Derek Lewis. Lewis has developed a very good relationship with his future position coach and the two have been very open and honest with each other.

“He [Derek Lewis] told me that if I make a commitment to him, he’ll make a commitment to me and it will just be me and another tight end [in the class],” Lewis said. “He didn’t guarantee me a starting spot but if I come in and work I can star because I’m what they need.”

Florida is still actively recruiting tight ends in the 2014 recruitng cycle, a fact that Lewis is well aware of but doesn’t seem to bother him.

“No, sir.” Lewis said when asked if it bothers him that Florida is still recruiting players at his position. “I feel like if they bring another tight end in he’s going to have to compete just like me.

A Tuscaloosa native, Lewis has had the opportunity to camp at Alabama and see their facilities. While he admitted that Alabama has great facilities, he said he has everything he needs at Florida.

Lewis also said he felt disrespected by Alabama. He told us about how well he played at their camp and how he lives “just across the street” from the school, yet they still haven’t offered him a scholarship.

“I liked Alabama but why should I go up there?” Lewis said of his hometown team. “I’m right down the street and they didn’t show me any love.”

I followed up by asking Lewis if he felt like Alabama had waited too long and missed their opportunity with him. He laughed and nodded his head “yes.”

While his first trip to Gainesville sealed his own commitment, there is another player that Florida is pursuing who is very close to Lewis and a player Lewis will help Florida recruit. That prospect is highly rated running back Bo Scarbrough, Lewis’ cousin.

“I’m going to be on him hard,” Lewis said of Scarbrough. He likes Florida a lot, he just needs to come down here and see it.”

Lewis also told us that Bo likes Florida and that he will accompany Bo on a visit to Gainesville next month.

While Lewis impressed at camp, the coaching staff told him that he still has some work to do.

“They want me to gain weight,” Lewis said when asked what he needs to do this year. “They want me to be around 240-250 after I get into the weight program. I weighed in at 211 today.”

The man that will make that weight gain happen is Jeff Dillman, who got a chance to meet with Lewis on Saturday. I asked Lewis what he thought of the energetic strength coach.

“Yes sir, yes sir,” Lewis said with a big smile on his face. “He’s hype. He said if I come he’s going to get me to where I need to be.”

Lewis loved his first trip to Gainesville and said he is looking forward to coming back again this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC