Returning Player Resfresher: Kahlil Lewis

During 2015, Kahlil Lewis had plenty of players to look up to. Working with seniors like Shaq Washington, Chris Moore and Mekale McKay (among others) during his freshman season gave Lewis a blueprint of how to succeed in the Cincinnati Bearcats’ system. Now its his turn to be at the forefront.

Lewis came to UC from Miami (no, not the Ohio one) in 2015 after earning three-star recruit designation from 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout. Additionally, 247Sports called him one of the 85 best wide receivers in the 2015 class. The 6’0”, 205-pound receiver was a two-sport athlete in high school, playing basketball as well as football.

Lewis did not put up a ton of numbers in 2015 as a true freshman, but he got a healthy amount of time on the field considering the litany of players above him on the depth chart. Playing in 11 of 13 games, Lewis caught three passes for 53 yards. He recorded each one of those yards in UC’s 52-7 win over UCF.

In the spring, Lewis continued to develop and position himself for a starting spot come Sept. 1, but he did not make a major impact in the spring game, turning only two catches into eight yards. However, don’t let that limited production fool you. Lewis will be one of the first options in the passing game. That is doubly true considering the bad news out of camp about Tshumbi Johnson.

Johnson was the star of the spring game, catching five passes for 88 yards. His absence will make the responsibility put on Lewis (and senior Nate Cole) that much heavier. Luckily, Lewis has seen first hand what it takes to be a UC receiver.