SCOUTING REPORT: Luxurious Marcedes

Strongly recruited Marcedes Lewis is speeding on the road to fame as an incoming Bruin

Bruce Tran

Tuesday, April 30, 2002

COURTESY OF THE LONG BEACH PRESS-TELEGRAM

By Bruce Tran

Daily Bruin Contributor

btran@media.ucla.edu His traits read like a commercial for a luxury car. “Critics rate five stars! Sleek and powerful; the perfect blend of speed, size and strength ... a can’t-miss product!” Indeed, it sounds like a commercial for a Mercedes-Benz. But it’s not. Rather, it’s what recruiting experts are saying about tight end Marcedes Lewis, the UCLA incoming football recruit whose name, if all goes well, will make its own statement about excellence. “He’s such a talented athlete that he’ll definitely play as a freshman,” UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said. “We’ll find a place for him on the field, be it tight end, receiver, special teams, wherever. He’s too good to keep off the field.”

Scouting Report • Considered to be the gem of the UCLA recruiting class simply because he has no evident weaknesses.

• Very strong and great hands, catches anything and everything.

• Good speed for tight end and defensive end, but will need to improve speed if he wants to stay at wide receiver.

• A little lean for tight end and defensive end right now, but expected to grow in college.

• In high school, he often caught a screen pass and would drag smaller defensive backs for the first down. He won’t be able to do so at the collegiate level.

• All in all, quite possibly UCLA’s biggest recruit in several years.

Some programs wanted him for defensive end, where he notched seven sacks last year while playing only in pass-rushing situations. Other college coaches liked his hands and size enough to believe he could be a star as wide receiver. Last fall against the No. 1 team in the country, De La Salle, a team predicated on fundamentals, Lewis scored a touchdown after juking several would-be tacklers. After the game, De La Salle quarterback Matt Gutierrez praised him as one of the best blockers he had ever seen. In the California Interscholastic Federation championship, Lewis played defensive end – a position where Greg Biggins, director of recruiting for Student Sports, says Lewis would have been ranked No. 1 in the country had he been there full-time. Lewis notched two sacks, including a series where he knocked down the quarterback on three consecutive plays. No wonder Lewis had college coaches drooling from the start. But through it all, he still prefers the tight end position. “I’d love to be able to concentrate at tight end,” said Lewis, who caught 44 passes for 710 yards in a high school offense that centered around the run. “At the same time, I’ll play wherever the coaches want me to play. I’ll do anything just to get on the field, even if I have to earn it.” The numbers on Lewis show why some scouts believe he was the top high school tight end in the nation. He’s 6-foot, 6 inches and weighs 240 pounds, and in his most recent timed 40-yard dash, he clocked in at 4.58 seconds. “He’s basically without a weakness as a football player,” Biggins said. “If he stays healthy, I don’t see why Marc won’t be the top tight end in college football and a future first-round draft pick.” One of the primary reasons for Lewis’ commitment to UCLA was the option of joining the basketball team as a walk-on. As a senior, he capped a stellar career by averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds a game for CIF champion Long Beach Poly. Still, with all the pros of attending UCLA, Lewis had to withstand enormous pressure from his teammates to uncommit. He hails from high school football powerhouse Long Beach Poly, a team that featured four other Top 100 players – all of whom committed to USC. “The challenge wasn’t recruiting him, but rather, it was keeping him,” Toledo said. “His teammates were pushing to keep the quintet together. Luckily, his character prevailed. Already, before he’s even put on a UCLA jersey, he’s shown me a lot about his personality.” Throughout high school, Lewis always seemed to be grouped with the rest of the Poly Fab Five. Now, Lewis seems to have distinguished himself from his Poly teammates. While some of his football companions have struggled academically, Lewis easily qualified, a result he says is because of his parents’ push and strict discipline. “His mother brought him up so well,” Long Beach Poly football coach Raul Lara said. “She really emphasized academics, and she really has a handle on Marcedes. He really respects her, and with those kinds of qualities and experiences and people around you, it overflowed to his character and he picked up some good habits.” Mike and Yvonne Withers, Lewis’ parents, have missed only two of Lewis’ games in 10 years. “We feel so much pride and excitement whenever we see him step onto the field,” Mike said. “We’re going to try to get to every game we can.” As for his name, despite the different spelling, some can’t help but compare Marcedes Lewis to the luxury car, Mercedes. “My mom liked the name Mercedes, but I wasn’t a girl,” Lewis said, laughing. “She thought about how she could keep the name without making it feminine. She threw the ‘A’ in there and made it masculine. I definitely feel that the name fits me.” The similarities are definitely there. “Non-stop engine, well-oiled machine, strong frame ...” But don’t confuse him with the car – this Marcedes is out to make a name of his own.