Peyton Lewis Signs With Tennessee
Early national signing day is upon us, and the Tennessee Volunteers are hoping to finish strong. They've recruited at a high rate under head coach Josh Heupel and brought in some major difference-makers in their 2023 signing class. Volunteer Country will provide readers with an in-depth breakdown of each signee.
Running back Peyton Lewis is the third commit to turn in their national letter of intent. He is the No. 159 player in the cycle, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. Take a look at what the Vols are getting.
Projected Position: Running Back
Vitals: 6-1 and 190 pounds
School: Salem High School (Salem, Virginia)
Frame: Lewis has the prototypical size for a running back at the college level. He's a sturdy 190 pounds with a strong lower body. He utilizes his body to find contact and create angles; if you lean into defenders in the box, it causes others to overplay, meaning Lewis can bounce outside. It takes a different level of physicality to consistently execute this, as you must be comfortable shedding hits each play.
Athleticism: A two-time state champion in the 55-meter dash. Lewis runs a 6.54 55-meter dash, which was a meet record when he ran it. He also competes in the 60-meter dash and the 300-meter dash. The track speed is evident on the field as he flies by defenders and ruins pursuit angles. Lewis's initial burst is impressive, and he has solid redirect skills off of one cut, but he shouldn't be making multiple cuts in a possession.
Instincts: A very patient, comfortable runner. Lewis understands how to run and how everyone else is playing the run. He routinely sets things up with his feet, making abrupt movements behind the line of scrimmage to keep defenders from guessing his angle correctly and committing to it. Lewis knows where alleys will open and the most optimal route to get there and burst into the open.
Polish: Salem High School runs primarily out of the I-formation, typically in 21 personnel. Lewis will need to adjust to the pace and space Tennessee offense but overall should be ready to physically compete at the SEC level once he gets to Rocky Top.
Bottom Line: The Vols added a quality runner to their class. Lewis is physically capable of shouldering a big workload in college and has the athleticism to become a home-run hitter. He reminds me a lot of current Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright, who burst onto the scene in his true freshman season as Tennessee's most explosive option out of the backfield. The coaching staff likely wants to add one more back to this class before it's all said and done, but they got a really good player in Lewis.
2024 4-star RB Peyton Lewis during an unofficial visit to Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Peyton Lewis)
Tennessee's 2024 Recruiting Class - * denotes NLI turned in
- Jake Merklinger, QB
- Peyton Lewis, RB *
- Mike Matthews, WR
- Braylon Harmon, WR
- Braylon Staley, WR
- Cole Harrison, TE
- Bennett Warren, OT
- Jesse Perry, OT
- Gage Ginther, OT
- William Satterwhite, OG
- Max Anderson, OG *
- Kellen Lindstrom, DE
- Carson Gentle, DE *
- Jeremias Heard, DL
- Jordan Ross, EDGE
- Edwin Spillman, ILB
- Jordan Burns, ILB
- Marcus Goree, DB
- Kaleb Beasley, CB
- Boo Carter, S
- Edrees Farooq, S
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