CJ Lewis has been on Tennessees radar for months, and he visited the Vols for the second time Saturday to attend their arsenal camp in hopes of landing a scholarship offer from them.
He might have moved one step closer to getting it.
The three-star rising senior quarterback from Cheshire (Conn.) Academy said he won the accurate-arm award during Tennessees quarterback camp, and Vols coach Butch Jones let him know that he moved a lot higher on the board with his performance Saturday afternoon.
Lewis, whose only offer is from home-state school Connecticut, said he was timed at 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash during the camp, and hes hoping that Tennessee could extend an offer to him in the coming weeks.
I guess I tested well in the 40 ran a 4.56. I won accurate-arm award for the camp, and Coach Jones, after he pulled me aside and we threw in the stadium, he told me that Id moved a lot higher on the board, and I should hear something after hes done with camps over in Tennessee, said Lewis, whos ranked the nations No. 36 dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class.
They were pretty excited about everything. The only thing they said was that sometimes my front shoulder rises when I throw, so the ball sailed on me. But everything else, they liked. They liked my feet. I have a comfortable base, and I have a great release and stuff like that.
The 6-foot-3.5, 205-pound Lewis, who also attended Tennessees spring-ending Orange and White Game in April, said he enjoyed working with Vols offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and offensive quality control assistant Nick Sheridan throughout the camp.
Hes very enthusiastic and outgoing and uptempo all the time, Lewis said of DeBord. He really pays attention to the little things, which I need to become great. I think thats what Im looking for in the process. Theres not a lot of coaches like him. Every coach has their own different style of teaching, and Coach DeBords is a way that I like.
I spent a lot of time with Coach Sheridan. He put me through tests. Every time I would throw, he would say, Go again, and tell me to fix things. He wanted to do it his way, and thats what he wanted to see, so I was working with him a lot.
Lewis said he also was able to talk extensively with Tennessee starting quarterback Joshua Dobbs, one of several current Vols who helped with the camp.
He said that Im smooth, and he said, The only thing that you need to work on a little is to be a little urgent because, when you play in the SEC, its a lot faster. He said to be urgent, Lewis said of Dobbs.
We didnt really talk about football. We just talked about life where Im from, hows school going? And I asked him about how Tennessee is, how the fans are and stuff like that. We just talked a little bit about everything. He said its a great place. He said its family first there. The football is amazing. The coaches are top-notch. Its everything you can ask for, honestly.
After visiting Tennessee twice, Lewis admitted he would have a hard time turning down the Vols if they extend an offer to him.
That would be one that would be hard to pass up after what Ive seen when Ive visited, he said. Its a great school. If they choose me over the people that camp there in the next couple of weeks, that shows me something that they really want me at the school, so thats something to think about when I make a decision.
He said Syracuse, Rutgers, Boston College and Wisconsin are among the other schools that have shown interest in him. But with some of them already having quarterback commitments, a few teams have shown interest in recruiting him as an athlete. Temple, Coastal Carolina and Buffalo are among the other teams still recruiting him as a quarterback.
Lewis said Connecticut is pushing me to commit, and he admitted he doesnt plan to wait too long to end his recruitment. But he added that he wants to take the time necessary to make the right decision and know in my heart that thats the place for me.
Im probably going to commit before the season, he said. Thats my goal. If something happens where I dont, Im going to commit as early as I can. I just want to get it out of the way so I can be committed to one team, talk to the players that are committed there and just build a relationship with the coaches.
