Eugene Lewis, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Stats
Home/HS: Plymouth, PA/Wyoming Valley West
Height: 6'1"
Weight:180
40 Time: N/A
Starz 'n Sheetz
Stars: 4* (247Sports, Scout, Rivals)
Offer sheet: Virginia, Virginia Tech, Illinois, Michigan State, NC State, Northwestern, Oregon, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Boston College, UConn, Louisville, Maryland
Cinema
Not much in the way of highlights on Lewis (that I could find, please link some if you have them). Instead, here is an interview done by BlueWhite Illustrated at a recent Penn State camp that Lewis attended.
The Tale
Eugene Lewis has been high on the Nittany Lions for quite some time, and it was just a matter of time before the talented wideout committed to Penn State. Eugene was on campus today, and apparently had seen enough. I figured he would wait until morning, but either way, he's now the 14th commit to the Class of 2012.
Outlook
Even though this one has been expected for some time, it is still a big relief to get a skill position player like Lewis on board. I commented earlier today that the skill position depth is already stocked well into the future, and this further solidifies the wide receiver position. Belton, Zanellato and Robinson last year, Lewis and likely one more wideout this year, and you can rest easy whenever anyone asks "How will the Penn State receivers be in 20xx?"
Lewis projects as an outside receiver, which should complement Belton's slot role and Zanellato's possession receiver role nicely in the future. He blew up at camps this summer, impressing all over the country, including the Nike camp in State College in May and The Opening camp in Oregon in July (as you can see from the roster, the talent level in Oregon was quite high).
Lions247 has Lewis as the 9th best prospect in PA, a telling sign in and of itself about the talent level in the Commonwealth this year, and the 25th best WR in the country. Scout.com's Bob Lichtenfels says of Lewis, "[h]e has an outstanding frame and is such a smooth and fluid athlete. He won’t shatter any speed records running a forty-yard dash, but he has a different speed with the ball in his hands. He has exceptional field vision and runs like a scat-back. He is very instinctive and always makes things happen."
Welcome to Penn State, Eugene.
Oh, and to the next commit (you listening up there, Armani?), would you mind picking a more conducive commitment time for the BSD staff? Thanks!