Lewis changes his mind, wants to explore his options
Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Brookhaven High linebacker Leo Lewis de-committed from Alabama Friday night, and the speculation has jumped into high gear over where he will finally wind up playing college football.
Lewis made the decision to de-commit while on Mississippi State’s campus for the school’s Big Dawg camp. The news was first reported by Varsity Preps’ Demetric Warren.
Lewis earlier had committed to Alabama on April 19 during the school’s A-Day spring game. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker told The Clarion-Ledger at the time that the school’s track record with linebackers stuck out to him.
Since the verbal commitment to Alabama, Lewis continued to indicate he was still open to other schools. He told reporters in June that Mississippi State was his No. 2 school and Ole Miss was No. 3. He recently told The Clarion-Ledger he was “85 percent” committed to the Crimson Tide.
Not long after, Lewis, one of four highly touted four- and five-star recruits, began to second-guess his decision.
Given the pressure he felt during his initial recruitment and an uneasy feeling that didn’t go away after he committed to the Tide, Lewis wants to start fresh and feel out all of his options before committing elsewhere.
Now that he’s back on the market, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are making a strong push for Lewis. The linebacker told The Clarion-Ledger in June that the in-state programs are two of his favorites.
After de-committing, he quickly became the center of attention for both in-state schools, receiving calls and texts from Rebel commits and being the hot topic of conversation in Starkville.
Lewis is ranked the nation’s top inside linebacker, according to 247Composite, and the No. 71 overall player.