Listed measurements: 5-foot-11 ½, 196 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A senior, Lewis has two seasons of eligibility remaining thanks to the universal pandemic eligibility waiver rendering his appearing in every game in 2020 moot in terms of this eligibility clock.
Depth Chart: Lewis may end up being Notre Dame’s backup cornerback at multiple positions, behind Oklahoma State graduate transfer Thomas Harper at nickel back, behind fifth-year Cam Hart at field (wide) cornerback and behind sophomore Benjamin Morrison at boundary. The public depth chart may not show Lewis as the top reserve behind all three, but in practice, it could quite possibly be reality.
Recruiting: A consensus three-star prospect, Lewis turned down both Virginia and Virginia Tech, as well as portions of the Big Ten, when he chose the Irish.
CAREER TO DATE
Morrison’s ascension last season, now a preseason All-American, came at Lewis’s expense. Since taking over for TaRiq Bracy halfway through the 2020 season, Lewis had started 16 straight games entering 2022. He then started the first two games last year, but soon the Morrison show began, and it was not necessarily because Lewis had stumbled.
He has been a largely steady piece of coverage throughout his career, also making 53 tackles in 2021, good for No. 3 on Notre Dame’s defense.
2020: 12 games, six starts; 33 tackles, seven passes broken up and one forced fumble.
2021: 13 games, 13 starts; 53 tackles with two for loss including one sack, five passes broken up, one interception and one forced fumble.
2022: 13 games, two starts; 29 tackles with one for loss, four passes broken up, one interception, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
QUOTES
A veteran defensive back with a history of sure tackling (115 tackles in 38 games) and a penchant for getting his hand on the ball (16 passes broken up, two interceptions and parts of four fumbles) should be well suited to nickel back duties, where Lewis spent his spring.
Harper was held out of spring practices with a shoulder injury, so there was never a good look at the coming competition between the two.
“[Lewis] played a lot of [nickel] toward the end of last season,” Irish cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens said in mid-April. “He’s very dependable. He’s having a great spring and doing a great job with it. That’s what you love about that. You have a veteran guy who understands the system and what we want him to do. We have him there, [Harper] has come over.
“That’s a great thing, that we have two guys who can really grow at that position and help us in the fall.”
WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Rare is the cornerback not plagued by bad afternoons, and those moments linger in the public’s consciousness far longer than moments of success. Human nature creates fickle football fans.
“For Lewis, those bad afternoons have been doubly frustrating as they were the final moments of each of his two seasons. Heisman winner Devonta Smith ran by him in the Playoff semifinal in 2020, and (Oklahoma State receiver Tay) Martin’s second-half bonanza ended Lewis’ 2021.
“Of his more than 1,200 career snaps — including 800-some last season, leading the Irish defense — losing one-on-one battles to a star like Smith or a fifth-year veteran like Martin should not erase the quality of the vast majority of those snaps. As Martin bullied Lewis throughout that second half, it was never that he had so beaten Lewis. Searching the Getty Images photo database for a photo of Lewis to place atop this article, the images all are engaging. Lewis was competing for each pass. Martin simply had better positioning on all but one of them.
“Notre Dame could not roll over a safety to help Lewis, leaving him that half-step behind Martin throughout the second half, but it was hardly more than a half-step.
“Lewis is a worthwhile starting cornerback for Mickens and new defensive coordinator Al Golden to work with. When — not so much an “if” — he gets beaten for a touchdown or two at Ohio State, his worthiness will not have genuinely changed.
“A season with another half-dozen broken-up passes and a pair of interceptions will underscore Lewis’ ability, even if the season ends with Jordan Addison getting by him for a touchdown.”
Notre Dame CB Clarence Lewis gets a big PBU here. Sound technique and awareness knowing what was coming. pic.twitter.com/7h3veo6bCJ
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) September 20, 2022
2023 OUTLOOK
More than a year later, Lewis getting beaten in Notre Dame’s Fiesta Bowl faceplant may be the defining memory of him for many Irish fans. They are missing his plentiful contributions in 2022.
Consider, he took 300-some snaps, fewer than half of his 2021 total and fourth among cornerbacks last year. Yet Lewis’s 29 tackles were just four behind Morrison’s 33 and four ahead of Hart’s 25. Lewis’s four pass breakups were tied with them both and three ahead of Bracy’s one.
On a per-snap basis, Lewis inarguably contributed.
He will again in 2023.
If Harper is healthy, he was brought in to be Notre Dame’s nickel back, a physical presence close to the tackle box that could help alleviate some linebacker depth concerns. If Hart (shoulder) is healthy, he should start every game. If Morrison is healthy (no present worry, just finishing the bit here), he should be on the field for every competitive snap.
Yet Lewis will get snaps, and more than just to give someone rest. He has logged more than 1,600 snaps in his career. The Irish are fortunate to have such an experienced player as a depth piece at cornerback.
DOWN THE ROAD
Houston Griffith set a Notre Dame record last season by appearing in 62 career games, obviously an effect of the universal pandemic eligibility waiver.
Lewis could break that next season, currently at 38 career appearances with 26 more conceivably ahead of him.
That should not be the only reason Lewis returns to South Bend in 2024, but it may be the one that seals his thinking. After this season, he may have more than 2,000 career snaps, a number some three-year starters do not reach. The Irish coaching staff will gladly welcome back that kind of experience, particularly with Harper gone and Hart likely, as well.
A starting gig should await Lewis again in 2024, be it at nickel back or cornerback, possibly giving him starts in five different seasons, pending finding one this year.
NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 93 Armel Mukam, incoming freshman defensive end, former Stanford commit
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U
No. 87 Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year ...
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
No. 75 Sullivan Absher, incoming freshman offensive lineman
No. 74 Billy Schrauth, sophomore left guard, likely starter
No. 73 Andrew Kristofic, fifth-year right guard, likely starter
No. 72 Sam Pendelton, early-enrolled freshman offensive lineman
No. 70 Ashton Craig, sophomore interior offensive lineman
No. 68 Michael Carmody, senior offensive lineman
No. 65 Michael Vinson, sixth-year long snapper, four-year starter
No. 64 Joe Otting, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 59 Aamil Wagner, sophomore offensive tackle
No. 56 Charles Jagusah, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 56 Howard Cross, fifth-year defensive tackle, multi-year starter
No. 55 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 54 Blake Fisher, junior right tackle, second-year starter
No. 52 Zeke Correll, fifth-year center, third-year starter
No. 51 Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 50 Rocco Spindler, junior offensive guard
No. 47 Jason Onye, junior defensive tackle on the verge of playing time
No. 44 Junior Tuihalamaka, sophomore defensive end, former linebacker
No. 42 Nolan Ziegler, sophomore linebacker, Irish legacy
No. 41 Donovan Hinish, sophomore defensive tackle following in his brother’s footsteps
No. 40 Joshua Burnham, sophomore linebacker-turned-Vyper end
No. 38 Davis Sherwood, junior fullback/H-back, former walk-on
No. 34 Drayk Bowen, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, baseball infielder
No. 32 Spencer Shrader, South Florida transfer kicker
No. 31 Nana Osafo-Mensah, fifth-year defensive end
No. 29 Christian Gray, early-enrolled freshman cornerback coming off a knee injury
No. 29 Matt Salerno, sixth-year receiver, former walk-on
No. 27 JD Bertrand, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, possible captain
No. 25 Preston Zinter, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, subtle recruiting win
No. 24 Jack Kiser, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, most efficient defender
No. 24 Jadarian Price, sophomore RB, reportedly recovered from an Achilles injury
No. 23 Jaiden Ausberry, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, four-star recruit
No. 22 Ben Minich, early-enrolled freshman safety, four-star recruit
No. 22 Jeremiyah Love, incoming freshman running back, four-star recruit
No. 21 Adon Shuler, early-enrolled freshman safety coming off shoulder surgery
No. 20 Benjamin Morrison, sophomore cornerback, preseason All-American
No. 19 Jaden Greathouse, early-enrolled freshman receiver, Blue-Gold Game star
No. 18 Steve Angeli, sophomore quarterback, competing for the backup role
No. 18 Chance Tucker, junior cornerback
No. 17 Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 17 Rico Flores Jr., early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit
No. 16 Micah Bell, incoming freshman cornerback, speedy four-star recruit
No. 15 Ryan Barnes, junior cornerback
No. 14 Bryce McFerson, sophomore punter facing a challenge for a second straight year
No. 14 Braylon James, early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit
No. 13 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 13 Thomas Harper, Oklahoma State graduate transfer safety/nickel back
No. 12 Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience
No. 12 Jordan Botelho, senior Vyper defensive end
No. 11 KK Smith, incoming freshman receiver, speedster
No. 11 Ramon Henderson, senior safety
No. 10 Sam Hartman, Wake Forest graduate transfer quarterback, QB1
No. 9 Eli Raridon, sophomore tight end coming off a second ACL tear
No. 8 Kenny Minchey, early-enrolled freshman quarterback, former Pittsburgh commit
No. 8 Marist Liufau, fifth-year linebacker, second season as a starter
No. 7 Audric Estimé, junior running back, bellcow, workhorse
No. 7 Jaden Mickey, sophomore cornerback coming off big and small life lessons
No. 4 Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth