Recruiting Interview: Jonathan Lewis One of Virginia Tech's top recruiting targets this year is 6-2, 290-pound defensive tackle Jonathan Lewis of Varina
High School in Richmond, Virginia. Lewis, the brother of current Hokie defensive lineman Kevin Lewis, is being recruited
to help fill the void that will be left when five senior defensive tackles depart Tech after the 2001 season. Jonathan Lewis, if he comes to Tech, will have the opportunity to play as many as three seasons alongside his
brother, who is a redshirt freshman this season. Lewis is ranked as the #5 player in the state of Virginia.
Rivals100.com ranks him as the #13 defensive tackle in the country. He has scheduled all five of his official recruiting
visits and will pick from the quintet of Virginia Tech, Virginia, Miami, Florida State, and Penn State. We recently spoke with Jonathan to get his thoughts on the recruiting process and how he will make his decision. I've read that you have a pretty tight family. When it comes time to make your decision, how heavily is your family
going to be involved in helping you make that decision? They'll probably be in it strongly. They'll have some say where I go, but it's pretty much my decision to make where
I want to go. It's me who has to be there every day, so I have to be comfortable with it. Are you going to include Kevin in that discussion? Yeah, I guess so. But he's left it up to me, also. Do your mom and dad and Kevin indicate any preference at this point? Not really. What part will academics play in your decision? Not as big a part, because I'm going to major in History, and everybody that I'm looking at has a good History
program. I'm looking into some good schools -- Virginia Tech, UVa, Penn State, Miami of Florida -- those are all good
schools, education-wise. If I get a degree from any of those five schools, I can do a lot with it. What leads to your interest in History? I've always had a knack for history. It's just something that I'm interested in. Among your five visits that you've got scheduled, what school do you think is the strongest, particularly if you're
thinking about going into History? I guess it would probably be UVa, because they always talk about UVa as a strong academic school. For a regular
student, you've got to have about a 1250 (SAT score) to get in, be top 5 in your class, all these requirements. I guess
Penn State, too. I've heard a lot about the strong academics at Penn State, too. I don't know much about Miami or
Florida State, but I'm sure they've got good educational programs, also. The schools you're considering include two from the Big East, two from the ACC, and one from the Big Ten. What are
your thoughts on those three conferences, and is the conference that the football team is in going to play a big role in
your decision? What comes to mind when you think of those three conferences? Probably just the same, really. Big Ten, run the ball. I can be a run-stuffer. The ACC probably has more teams that
get out and pass, so I could be more of a pass-rusher. The Big East has more of a mix -- Virginia Tech runs, Miami runs
and throws. I think whatever conference I go to doesn't make a difference. I can adjust the way I play. It doesn't make
a big deal to me. At 290, is there any chance you're going to play defensive end, or are you set as a defensive tackle? I'm probably definitely going to be a defensive tackle. I know you've got a tough weight program there at Varina. Do you think you can put on much more weight in college?
Are you going to be a guy that winds up weighing 310 or 330? I want to stay at my weight all through my college career. I went up to 290 during the offseason and was able to run
well at 290. I guess it's okay. I was running well at 290, so I want to stay there. I don�t want to get any bigger. Miami is having a great year, Virginia Tech is having a pretty good year, and Florida State is having a pretty good
year -- a little down for them, but they're playing some young players. You look at Penn State and UVa, and they�ve
got losing records, and they've struggled this year. Is playing for a team that is currently a winner important for you? I would like to be part of a program that is rebuilding and win a national championship after some down years. That
would be something special to do, just to be a part of that. I'm not really necessarily looking down on those schools
(that are struggling). Did you have a childhood favorite, a team that you rooted for growing up? As far as pro teams go, I liked the 49ers. Kevin, he was a Notre Dame fan, so I guess I liked Notre Dame, too. He
(Kevin) probably wanted to go to Notre Dame coming out of high school. One of the things I had heard was that Kevin was interested in UVa and North Carolina as a senior in high school. Yeah, he was. I think if UVa had offered Kevin, he would be at UVa right now. But UVa didn't offer him, and Coach Cav
(Tech assistant coach Jim Cavanaugh) came to visit Kevin at school, talked to Kevin at the lunch table a lot, and they
offered Kevin. So he went to Tech. Let's talk about Coach Cav a little. I imagine you've gotten to know him pretty well, because of Kevin. What do you
think about Coach Cav? Out of all the recruiters, Coach Cav is probably one of the best "people-persons." He knows a lot of
coaches in the area, and he's not always so serious, or so silly, or whatever. He's an easy person to talk to. If you look at the coaches for your five schools, it's an interesting mix. You've got Bowden and Paterno, who are
legends and each have won over 300 games. You've got Frank Beamer, who has established a pretty good national reputation
for himself. Then you've got Al Groh at Virginia and Larry Coker down at Miami, who are relative newcomers to head
coaching in college. What are your thoughts for playing for a legendary coach, versus playing for somebody at the other
end of the spectrum, like Groh or Coker? The thing about the legendary coaches is, if I go there, are the legendary coaches still going to be there? Paterno
might leave (retire). I don't think Bowden will leave, but Paterno already has his record for wins, so he might go ahead
and give it up. I don't know. But a new coach like Groh or Coker, you don't know how long they're going to stay. So you think a guy like Groh or Coker, it's possible -- They might leave. But a guy like Beamer has been there (at Tech) thirteen years. Right. He's had his up, down, and middle seasons. Are you a little concerned that if you went to Penn State, Paterno might retire before you were done playing? Not really. I mean, I've never met Joe Paterno. The only person I've met at Penn State is Bill Kenney, the D-line
coach. Joe Paterno knows me, but I really haven't met Joe Paterno, so I don't know how much affect him leaving would
have on me if I went to Penn State. Knowing what you know about the schools, which school do you feel gives you the best opportunity to play early? UVa, probably. They're talking about me potentially starting (as a true freshman), but Tech was saying that, too, or
at least to be in the two-deep rotation as a true freshman. Do you feel you could step in an contribute as a true freshman? That's something I dream about. If I am able to step in as a true freshman, that's great, and I'm going to be happy,
but if I'm not able to step in as a true freshman, that's something I can understand also. Do you get a chance to talk to (former Varina teammate and friend) Mike Robinson up at Penn State much? No. When you do, does he try to get you to go there? Mike wants me to go there. He tried to get me to go after he signed. Do you know any players at the schools you're looking at, other than Kevin at Tech and Mike at Penn State? I've talked to Billy McMullen (UVa) a couple of times. I know some other players at UVa. Which of your favorite schools do you think has the best chance of playing for a national championship while you're a
player there, and is that a big factor in your decision? That's a big factor. Florida State is going to be a contender, Miami is going to be a contender, Virginia Tech is
going to be a contender. Any preference for playing in a 4-3 or a 3-4 system? It really doesn't matter to me. Do you consider yourself to be more of a run-stopper, a pass-rusher, or both? When I�m playing well, a combination of both. I've got some good pass rush moves, and I'm big enough to stop the
run. What area of your game do you need to work on when you get to college? My pad level. Sometimes in high school, it's kind of easy, so you have a tendency to kind of stay high, coming off
the ball high. That's something me and my brother talk about all the time, about staying low. Reading the offensive
linemen's stance and all that stuff, knowing the plays in college. You've got a lot of plays and stunts you need to
know. Who's the best offensive lineman you've played against in high school. Who really stands out for you? Probably Craig Lobrano (a former Varina teammate who died at practice on September 5, 2000, of heat stroke). How much older than you was he? One year. Were you pretty close with Craig? Yeah, I was. He was like my white brother. We were real close. Didn't you for a while wear a T-shirt or jersey underneath your pads with his number on it? I still do. Yeah. We've also got a black wristband that we all wear for him. One of the things that comes up a lot is negative recruiting. If a coach talks down about another school, is that
going to turn you off? Is it important to you that recruiters not do that sort of thing? Yeah. I mean, just sell your school, don't knock any other school. Let's go through your five schools, in the order that you're going to take your visits, and you tell me what you like
about each school. First, Penn State. I like (defensive line) Coach Kenney. My friend Mike Robinson is there. They also said I could play early. It's about
six hours away, the Big Ten Conference is a good conference, they play Michigan every year, Ohio State every year, big
competition. You know you're going to play on TV. You know you're going to get on ESPN at least four times a year
playing with Penn State. Tell me what you like about Virginia Tech. My brother's there. We've got a chance to do something special there at Virginia Tech. It could be something special,
a story about two brothers on ESPN, or Sports Illustrated. It could be something special there. Tell me what you like about Miami. They're winning. Just like Penn State, you're going to be on TV a lot. You'll probably go to the pros quicker out of
Miami than any other school -- same with Florida State. What do you like about Florida State? Just like Penn State and Miami, you're going to be on TV a lot, people are going to be able to see you. You know that
if you play well, your name's going to be out there, and you're going to have a great shot at pro football. And I think
everybody gets fired up for that war chant. Tell me about Virginia. What do you like about Virginia? Virginia's probably got an awesome recruiting class coming in. As far as commits, they've got a lot of good commits
coming in. I think they're getting in some fresh blood, starting with this recruiting class. They're going to have
potential stars out there. How big of a consideration is a shot at the NFL for you? That's a big consideration for me. I don�t think you'll work that hard in the weight room -- you know, we've got
things called "Speed Mondays" every week -- for four years. I guess I wouldn't work as hard if I didn't think
I had a shot at the NFL. It's a dream. I think a lot of kids dream of playing pro sports, being in the NBA or NFL. So
yeah, that's a big dream, that's something I'm really thinking about. People who follow recruiting are always talking about whether it's important to players if other players are going to
a certain school. When you talked about Virginia, you brought up some of the kids that had verbally committed to them.
Does it really swing your opinion if you see a school like Virginia or Virginia Tech suddenly getting commitments from a
lot of good recruits? Do you want to go there and be a part of that? Oh, you want to go to be a part of something good, yeah. Are you thinking about players who have already verbaled there? Yes, like Anthony Martinez. I've known Martinez since I was about six years old. Keenan Carter, I've been able to
meet him. Are there any players out there that haven't verbaled to any schools that you're keeping your eye on? Not really. Well, I'm looking for my cousin Marcus Lewis. I want to see what he's going to do. He went to Varina,
he's a linebacker. He made all-state, and he's at Fork Union now. Who's recruiting him? Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Maryland, some other schools. I think Cav is recruiting him (for Virginia Tech). Can you name a single most important factor in your decision-making process? Is there one thing that will sway you
more than anything else? My comfort level at the school. I've heard recruits say that before, and comfort level means different things to different players. What does it mean
to you? Do I like the people there? If I go there, am I going to worry about home, or am I going to be homesick? If I go
there, am I going to be able to do my work without everybody about me partying all the time? You've got to find the
right thing for you. Since you're close to your family, how big a factor is distance going to play? I don't know right now. I think me and my family will stay close, anyway. We can use the phone. I know I'll talk to
my family at least two times a week, that's how close my family is. I'll always want to know what's going on in my neck
of the woods when I'm in college. If I'm four hours away or an hour away, at UVa or Tech, I'll probably call two times a
week to see what's going on with my friends and family. Your last visit is to Virginia on January 18th. When are you going to make your decision? I think about February. Mike (Robinson) waited until February. I'm not as flashy as Mike, so maybe I'll go a little
earlier. Last question: who's your favorite school right now? Who are you leaning towards right now? If it all stopped right now, it would have to be Virginia Tech. I've been to Virginia Tech the most. The two schools
I've seen are Virginia and Virginia Tech, and I've been to Virginia Tech the most. So as it stands now, I�m leaning
towards Virginia Tech before I take my visits. Thank you, Jonathan. I appreciate you taking time to talk with us. All right.
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com
TSL Extra, Issue #13
