Doctors told Washington State's Damarjhe Lewis he'd never play again. Now he's among the nation's leaders

Might want to sit down for this one, but the Washington State Cougars have a player who leads the country in a positive football category.

And he’s not even a starter.

But when you get to know him, you’d understand how - and why - he is such a force in the middle of the defensive line.

Seventh-year senior Damarjhe Lewis has done a lot of good things as a rotational player. In fact, he is the highest-graded Cougars’ interior defensive lineman (68.0), according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

And his grade doesn’t take into account what the 6-foot-3, 332-pounder has accomplished lining up to come crashing the line of scrimmage on special-teams kicks.

Lewis is tied for the national lead in blocked kicks this season with two, along with Cal’s Aaron Hampton, Kansas’ Leroy Harris III, Ole Miss’ Jehiem Oatis, Purdue’s Bisi Owens and Sacramento State’s Chakai Scott.

“I feel like I have way more - I am just now getting the feeling back,” Lewis said. “I am not even in a groove yet.”

Hailing from Griffin, Georgia, commonly known as “Grip Town” for all the NFL and FBS players the town produces, Lewis was looked at as the next great one as a four-time all-region selection, including being named the 2019 3-AAAAA defensive player of the year.

Originally committed to Auburn, he reversed field at the last minute and signed with Indiana as an early enrollee.

A year later, Lewis followed defensive line coach Mark Hagen to Purdue, where he saw limited action, making three starts.

The injury that nearly ended Damarjhe Lewis' career

As a sophomore in 2022, he was set to start and have a big year along the Boilermakers’ defensive line when, during practice one day, a couple of scout-team players came crashing into him during a live play and dislocated his left ankle so severely that doctors told him he would never play football again.

Purdue Boilermakers defensive lineman Damarjhe Lewis (34) watches the Ohio State Buckeyes players warm up ahead of the NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After Lewis had surgery to install a “tightrope” - a high-strength polyethylene cord - to stabilize the repaired ankle area, he was on bed rest for three months.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

“The pain, I couldn’t control it,” Lewis said.

Remarkably, after missing the entire season, Lewis was back on the field the next year, only to reinjure the same ankle in the second game of the season. He missed the rest of that season, too.

Again, Lewis made his way back and played in five games in 2024. But he did not look right or feel the same. Last season, he transferred to Southern Methodist University and played very little.

A fresh start at Washington State - and a national lead

With one more season of eligibility, he decided to give it a final go-round and enrolled at WSU in January for first-year coach Kirby Moore.

A few years removed from three ankle surgeries, Lewis participated in spring ball and fall camp with the Cougars for the first time since 2022.

“I was getting used to the bruises and weird feelings coming back,” Lewis said. “My body was sore every day.”

But he was staying in the lineup. And in back-to-back home games against Arizona and Fresno State, he made two plays that have endeared him to fans.

Against Arizona, he blocked a 44-yard field goal. And the next week, he got up and swatted a 33-yard field goal by the Bulldogs.

Lewis said he’s always had a knack for blocking kicks, starting in high school and even in practice during his first college season at Indiana.

And in his final season at Purdue, he blocked one in a game for the first time.

“I am a bigger body, and I’ve got a little speed to me,” Lewis said. “Most (offensive) linemen hate physicality, especially when they are not moving.

“It’s just moving the man in front of you, and who wants to win it better.”

What made his blocked field goal against Fresno State special was that it was the first time his youngest daughter, Damahni, was in the stadium grandstands to watch him play alongside her sister, Damiriah.

“That just makes me go harder,” Lewis said.

Add us as a preferred source on Google