12/18/2019 football Edit

Notre Dame Signee Profile: CB Clarence Lewis

Mike Singer • InsideNDSports

Recruiting Insider

Middletown (N.J.) Mater Dei prep defensive back Clarence Lewis committed to the Fighting Irish shortly after he took an official visit to Notre Dame over the summer, and now he is officially apart of Brian Kelly’s program.

Lewis is a versatile prospect who has played at a high level on both sides of the ball during his high school career.

Clarence Lewis has signed with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

RANKINGS

Rivals: Three-star prospect, No. 19 recruit in New Jersey and No. 82 cornerback nationally

ESPN: Three-star recruit, No. 16 recruit in New Jersey and No. 112 wide receiver in the country

STATISTICS

2019 Stats: Nine rushes for 44 yards ... 39 receptions for 638 yards and five touchdowns

2018 Stats: 21 catches for 411 yards and six touchdowns

NOTABLE

• Named to the 2019 Shore Conference Coaches' Colonial Division first-team offense

• Nominated for the 2019 “Heart of a Giant” award, presented by the New York Giants.

• Was Notre Dame’s first defensive back commit in the 2020 class when he announced his pledge on June 10, 2019

• Had the third-highest Nike training score of any DB (109.74) at The Opening New Jersey Regional in 2019 (per NJ.com)

• Named to the 2018 All-Non-Public first-team offense in New Jersey (per NJ.com)

• First offer came from Virginia Tech in June 2018

RECRUITMENT

Offer Sheet: Boston College, Duke, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, NC State, Purdue, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia

Notre Dame missed on several defensive back targets in the 2020 class and worked hard to expand the board during the spring evaluation period.

It was actually Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston, who recruits in the Northeast for the Irish, who first made contact with Lewis on the ND staff.

“They picked up my transcripts to see how I was doing in school,” Lewis previously told Blue & Gold Illustrated. “Not that long after, they offered me.”

Just a few weeks after receiving the scholarship offer, Lewis officially visited Notre Dame June 7-9 and raved about his time in South Bend.

“It was a great way to learn more about Notre Dame,” Lewis said. “I actually loved the school. I learned a lot of new stuff, like how big they are on academics and what happens after college and the networking they have.”

Lewis spent extended time with defensive coordinator Clark Lea, defensive back coaches Todd Lyght and Terry Joseph, and defensive analyst Chris O’Leary.

“They were saying that they think I can fit in here with my personality,” Lewis said. “They don’t just recruit a player; they recruit the person too. They were just keeping it real with me and how recruiting works.”

The day after he returned home from his visit, Lewis committed to the Fighting Irish. He discussed things over with his family and high school coaches, and then called the Notre Dame staff to inform them of his decision.

A few schools continued to recruit Lewis even though he was committed, but he stayed true to his pledge and signed with the Irish.

QUOTABLE

“I like those two coaches a lot. That’s one of the main reasons I picked Notre Dame because I can see myself being coached by them. The relationship is really good.” — Lewis on ND defensive backs coaches Terry Joseph and Todd Lyght

ANALYST TAKE

“Clarence impresses you with his speed off the ball, route running and hands. He does a good job working back to the ball. He shows a good vertical and rarely drops a pass. I also consider Clarence to be a big-time prospect at free safety where he shows great instincts, range, loose hips and does a great job tracking the ball.” — Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report and CBS Sports Network