Bloomington Leader

Indiana Hoosiers Football issued the following announcement on Mar 3.

Back in the day, when "groovy" dominated conversations, football teams ran to championships, and the Super Bowl was a fantasy in waiting, one cartoon character loomed large and funny:

Underdog, a dog who was a "humble shoeshine boy" until morphing into a crime-stopping superhero canine.

Now, the 21st Century offers Alicia Keys' hit song "Underdog," which reflects social awareness and helping those less fortunate, and the overall underdog concept of a person or team expected to lose.

Word to the wise -- don't expect Indiana freshman defensive lineman Damarjhe Lewis, a self-described "underdog," to lose.

The Georgia native, who rates among the nation's Top-45 defensive end prospects by ESPN, radiates top-dog potential boosted by hard-working tenacity.

"Coming here," Lewis says, "I'm a big underdog. Nobody knows me. It's on me to get my name out there. I'm grinding hard for that."

Grinding figures to pay off, perhaps sooner rather than later. Lewis finds truth in the recruiting pitch that instant impact is possible for those who bust their tails.

"At Indiana, I have a chance to play early," he says.

Head coach Tom Allen hasn't hesitated to play freshmen early if they are ready for it, and defensive line is rich in opportunity for those who can get in the backfield, pressure quarterbacks and disrupt running games.

That opportunity will be directed by new defensive line coach Kevin Peoples, a 27-year coaching veteran with a knack for developing players. He was hired to follow the upward trajectory initiated by former defensive line coach Mark Hagen (now at Texas).

Lewis is in Bloomington getting a crash course in that trajectory after skipping his high school senior spring semester to enroll early at Indiana. That gives him and the other eight early enrollees an edge in adjusting to Cream & Crimson football life and the college way.

Lewis has already impressed Allen, who compared him to Matthew Bedford, last season's freshman offensive lineman whose spring ball participation jump-started a major contribution after veteran Coy Cronk suffered a season-ending injury.

"Damarjhe Lewis is one who jumps out to me both in terms of talking to the coaching staff and what I saw," Allen said during last month's signing day press conference. "He's a big-body guy who moves extremely well.

"We learned last year with Matt Bedford, when you come in mid-year, that increases your chances to be ready to play in the fall. He's a guy who really sticks out to me and our staff."

Lewis was a major get for the Hoosiers. He was a target for multiple high-profile programs, including national champ LSU, Penn State, Auburn, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Louisville, West Virginia and Tennessee.

Lewis originally committed to Auburn, then backed out.

Those offers didn't inflate his ego or alter his perspective of what it will take to thrive at the college level.

"The people I played against in high school had offers," Lewis says. "Offers don't mean anything. You have to show what you can do against your opponent. I'm grinding hard to beat my opponent."

For now, that comes in weight-lifting sessions. Come Saturday, with the start of spring practice, all sorts of opportunities will arrive.

Lewis is poised to take advantage.

At 6-3 and 295 pounds, he has difference-making size and speed.

"My speed is crazy for my size," he says.

How crazy?

"The last time I ran a 40, it was like 4.8 seconds."

That was enough to cause plenty of havoc for any team playing Griffin High School. He was a four-year starter who, as a senior, was named Georgia's Class 3-A Defensive Player of the Year, impressive given he only played in seven games because of an ankle injury.

"I hurt my ankle last summer," he says, "and I got kind of big. Towards the end of the season, my speed came back."

Lewis finished with 37 tackles, 13 for loss, and forced a pair of fumbles in those seven games. ESPN rated him as talent-rich Georgia's No. 63 prospect. He also was a four-time all-region selection.

"We were a speed team," he says of Griffin. "That was a strength there. It will be a strength here. That's the key. That's the big key."

As far as spring practice, Lewis is ready to make a big impression.

"Just competing. Showing what I can do. That's the main thing."

Original source can be found here.

Source: Indiana Hoosiers Football