COURTESY OF THE LONG BEACH PRESS-TELEGRAM
By Bruce Tran
Daily Bruin Contributor
[email protected] His traits read like a commercial for a luxury
car. “Critics rate five stars! Sleek and powerful; the
perfect blend of speed, size and strength … a can’t-miss
product!” Indeed, it sounds like a commercial for a
Mercedes-Benz. But it’s not. Rather, it’s what
recruiting experts are saying about tight end Marcedes Lewis, the
UCLA incoming football recruit whose name, if all goes well, will
make its own statement about excellence. “He’s such a
talented athlete that he’ll definitely play as a
freshman,” UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said.
“We’ll find a place for him on the field, be it tight
end, receiver, special teams, wherever. He’s too good to keep
off the field.”
Scouting Report “¢bull; Considered to be the
gem of the UCLA recruiting class simply because he has no evident
weaknesses.
“¢bull; Very strong and great hands, catches anything and
everything.
“¢bull; Good speed for tight end and defensive end, but will
need to improve speed if he wants to stay at wide receiver.
“¢bull; A little lean for tight end and defensive end right now,
but expected to grow in college.
“¢bull; In high school, he often caught a screen pass and would
drag smaller defensive backs for the first down. He won’t be
able to do so at the collegiate level.
“¢bull; All in all, quite possibly UCLA’s biggest recruit
in several years.
Some programs wanted him for defensive end, where he notched
seven sacks last year while playing only in pass-rushing
situations. Other college coaches liked his hands and size enough
to believe he could be a star as wide receiver. Last fall against
the No. 1 team in the country, De La Salle, a team predicated on
fundamentals, Lewis scored a touchdown after juking several
would-be tacklers. After the game, De La Salle quarterback Matt
Gutierrez praised him as one of the best blockers he had ever seen.
In the California Interscholastic Federation championship, Lewis
played defensive end ““ a position where Greg Biggins,
director of recruiting for Student Sports, says Lewis would have
been ranked No. 1 in the country had he been there full-time. Lewis
notched two sacks, including a series where he knocked down the
quarterback on three consecutive plays. No wonder Lewis had college
coaches drooling from the start. But through it all, he still
prefers the tight end position. “I’d love to be able to
concentrate at tight end,” said Lewis, who caught 44 passes
for 710 yards in a high school offense that centered around the
run. “At the same time, I’ll play wherever the coaches
want me to play. I’ll do anything just to get on the field,
even if I have to earn it.” The numbers on Lewis show why
some scouts believe he was the top high school tight end in the
nation. He’s 6-foot, 6 inches and weighs 240 pounds, and in
his most recent timed 40-yard dash, he clocked in at 4.58 seconds.
“He’s basically without a weakness as a football
player,” Biggins said. “If he stays healthy, I
don’t see why Marc won’t be the top tight end in
college football and a future first-round draft pick.” One of
the primary reasons for Lewis’ commitment to UCLA was the
option of joining the basketball team as a walk-on. As a senior, he
capped a stellar career by averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds a
game for CIF champion Long Beach Poly. Still, with all the pros of
attending UCLA, Lewis had to withstand enormous pressure from his
teammates to uncommit. He hails from high school football
powerhouse Long Beach Poly, a team that featured four other Top 100
players ““ all of whom committed to USC. “The challenge
wasn’t recruiting him, but rather, it was keeping him,”
Toledo said. “His teammates were pushing to keep the quintet
together. Luckily, his character prevailed. Already, before
he’s even put on a UCLA jersey, he’s shown me a lot
about his personality.” Throughout high school, Lewis always
seemed to be grouped with the rest of the Poly Fab Five. Now, Lewis
seems to have distinguished himself from his Poly teammates. While
some of his football companions have struggled academically, Lewis
easily qualified, a result he says is because of his parents’
push and strict discipline. “His mother brought him up so
well,” Long Beach Poly football coach Raul Lara said.
“She really emphasized academics, and she really has a handle
on Marcedes. He really respects her, and with those kinds of
qualities and experiences and people around you, it overflowed to
his character and he picked up some good habits.” Mike and
Yvonne Withers, Lewis’ parents, have missed only two of
Lewis’ games in 10 years. “We feel so much pride and
excitement whenever we see him step onto the field,” Mike
said. “We’re going to try to get to every game we
can.” As for his name, despite the different spelling, some
can’t help but compare Marcedes Lewis to the luxury car,
Mercedes. “My mom liked the name Mercedes, but I wasn’t
a girl,” Lewis said, laughing. “She thought about how
she could keep the name without making it feminine. She threw the
“˜A’ in there and made it masculine. I definitely feel
that the name fits me.” The similarities are definitely
there. “Non-stop engine, well-oiled machine, strong frame
…” But don’t confuse him with the car ““ this
Marcedes is out to make a name of his own.