Morrisville Coach Terry Dow talks about Alex Lewis

Wisconsin entered the 2002 recruiting season with many areas it hoped to improve. But one of the categories it needed immediate help with was its linebacking corps.

The Badgers landed exactly that with the commitment of Alex Lewis, a 6-1, 235-pound stud from SUNY-Morrisville. Wisconsin has steered away from signing JUCO transfers in recent years because of the difficulty in getting them admitted, but Lewis seems to be a perfect fit.

Lewis, a native of Delran, N.J., didn’t qualify out of high school, but immediately got back on track academically at SUNY-Morrisville. He is slated to graduate with an associate’s degree in May, and plans to report on the first day of summer workouts in Madison.

On the football field, Lewis was often like a man amongst boys in the Northeast Football Conference, where he was named the Defensive Player of the Year last season. He had 101 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, two interceptions for touchdowns and several blocked kicks.

With 4.6 speed, Lewis runs sideline-to-sideline and crushes people once he gets there. His size and speed was uncanny for a player at his level, and he seems ready to burst onto the scene in the Big Ten.

“He runs like a deer and hits like a truck,” said Terry Dow, head coach at SUNY-Morrisville. “I think he’s going to be able to play right away. I really do. He’s the kind of kid that adapts to the surroundings very quickly. He’s an extremely coachable kid, and I’m sure he will spend plenty of extra time in the film room with Coach (Kevin) Cosgrove learning the position, learning the system and the defense, everything that’s expected of him. I think he’s going to flourish early.”

Lewis was a hot commodity on the east coast amongst college recruiters. He received scholarship offers from the likes of Maryland, Syracuse and West Virginia, and interest in him was skyrocketing when Wisconsin sealed the deal.

The Badgers put the full-court press on Lewis, doing everything they possibly could to wrap up his services early.

“There were a lot of schools that were getting involved with him, but he didn’t have a chance to visit any of them yet,” Dow said. “Wisconsin just did a great job recruiting him. They had coaches out here seeing him, they came to one of our games and saw him play, and they got him out there early for a visit. The rest is history. He fell in love with the place when he was out there. He’s very happy.”

Dow said the stereotype that’s sometimes associated with non-qualifiers of poor work ethic couldn’t be more wrong in Lewis’ case. In fact, Dow lists work ethic as Lewis’ No. 1 asset.

“He outworks everybody around him,” Dow said. “That coupled with some great talent.”

Lewis has two remaining years of college eligibility. He also has an available redshirt season if the UW coaches choose that route, but Dow feels that is highly unlikely. Lewis should be ready to play immediately, and if he has a strong fall camp, he could find himself starting at the Mike linebacker position vacated by Nick Greisen.

“He’s a great player, without a doubt,’ Dow said. “He’s a leader, he makes plays, he makes people around him play better. He’s everything you need for someone to line up in the middle of your defense.”