Michigan Football: Jourdan Lewis Appreciation
Michigan football hasn’t had too many cornerbacks better than Jourdan Lewis. Such a vital part of the defense, here’s our appreciation.
It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks in the sports world, complete with the incredible high of the NBA Finals and the incredible low of Muhammad Ali’s death (with a bunch of stuff in between). Michigan football fans have some insurance for the roller coaster of the sports world, though: Jourdan Lewis.
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Not to say that Lewis’ prowess on the field can live up to either of those things; it’s just to say that as long as Lewis is wearing the Maize and Blue, there will be some sort of consistent athletic force (no matter how small) the Wolverines can fall back on.
Jabrill Peppers is the most exciting player on the defensive side of the ball (and one of the most exciting players in the country), and Jehu Chesson is the most exciting player on the offensive side of the ball. Lewis is the most consistently great player on either side of the ball.
None of that is to say that he isn’t exciting as hell, though:
His rip-away pick-six against Northwestern was probably my favorite play of the entire season last year. You just don’t see corners make that play one-on-one on the edge of the field.
He had 20 (!) pass breakups, a forced fumble, two interceptions, a sack, and 37 tackles. He also averaged 25 yards per kick return after taking over for Peppers halfway through the season. All good-to-great numbers, to be sure, but his greatest contribution to the team was the fact that–unless the opposing team came in with a really stupid game plan–teams didn’t even throw at him. He shut down half of the field and played picture perfect press coverage in every game during the 2015 season.
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If you watch Lewis’ highlights you’ll notice how little safety help he ever gets (or needs). That freed up Peppers to freelance more often (the role for which he is best suited) and freed up former defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin to call blitzes at his leisure. That bodes well coming into this season, when Lewis will be playing for Don Brown, a coordinator that somehow blitzes even more aggressively.
There have been many good to great Michigan corners in my lifetime, but in my mind Jourdan Lewis, even before his senior year, has cemented himself in the top three. Obviously the great Charles Woodson is at the top of the list. There really isn’t much to say about that other than the fact that he was probably the second best Michigan player ever and could do stuff like this:
Things get a little thorny after Woodson. Leon Hall was a major part of several outstanding defensive units. Morgan Trent disproved the “SEC Speed” myth in the 2008 Capital One Bowl by chasing down Percy Harvin (who had a 10-yard head start) in the open field. Tommy Hendricks was a bruiser that played opposite Woodson on the best defense in program history.
However, I think the No. 2 slot comes down to a competition between Marlin Jackson and Lewis. They have both been All-Americans (though Lewis achieved the status a year quicker) and have both anchored very good defensive backfields. They both played next to a big hitting athletic safety (Peppers and Ernest Shazor), and they both were able shut down the edge with terrifying efficiency. Jackson’s single season pass break up record held until Lewis broke it this past season. They both have a nose for the ball.
Maybe it’s recency bias, but I think Lewis is the second best Michigan corner of my lifetime. I mentioned a few times during the season that not noticing a cornerback is one of the best indications that he’s really, really good at his job. I would forget about Lewis for long swaths of game time during some contests, only to be reminded by a pass breakup or a pick or a big hit that he’s been tormenting some poor receiver on the left side of the field all day.
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This year’s team is going to be all sorts of fun and there’ll be excitement from every angle, but just remember to keep your eye out for #26, because by the end of the year he might end up being the best player on the team and the best corner in the country.