Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 JUNE/JULY 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL O K, fine. Clarence Lewis' inner circle, Brian Kelly and even Clarence Lewis himself will admit last season was a little surprising. Lewis and those involved his high school career at Middletown (N.J.) Mater Dei Prep foresaw a promising, high-impact career at Notre Dame despite his ranking as the nation's No. 84 cornerback — below players who signed with Middle Tennessee, Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Cincinnati. They weren't even ruling out a freshman role for him. A week-one co-starter listing as a freshman, a comparison to Freshman All-American KeiVarae Russell, six starts at corner, 70 snaps in prime time against Clemson and a College Football Playoff start, though? This was beyond the scope of their imaginations and (a little biased) prognostications. But only slightly. "We knew he was pretty smooth, he had good technique and he's fear- less," said Dino Mangiero, Lewis' coach at Mater Dei. "No one ex- pected him to become a starter his freshman year, not at a school like Notre Dame. "But when I really went back and thought about it, I wasn't surprised. Nothing bothers him. He's just a cool cat out there. Just the kind of guy who does his job." By doing so, by taking every chal- lenge without breaking stride and keeping his usual composed, quiet demeanor, Lewis found himself climbing the depth chart in fall camp and ended the year as a stabilizer for a position that needed leveling. It didn't matter he was one of the three lowest-rated signees in Notre Dame's 2020 class, didn't enroll early like the other two cornerbacks in it and started his college career in a pandemic-affected offseason. All told, Lewis made 33 tackles (1.0 for loss) and broke up seven passes. No Notre Dame freshman made more progress last summer than he did. He was one of four first-years to claim notable roles on offense or defense for the Irish in 2020. "I'd say I was a little surprised," Lewis said. "I just didn't know what to expect when I first got here. I just put my head down and went to work." A year later, the expectations are high — his own, his coaches and the public's. They gradually grew as last season went on. First, he was asked to hold his own in a September spot start against South Florida. Then, Notre Dame needed him to provide a mid-game boost in a November meeting with Clemson. Finally, it asked him to start against Alabama in the College Football Playoff. STRONG FIRST IMPRESSION 'Cool cat' Clarence Lewis blew past expectations in 2020; now, it's time to meet lofty ones Lewis became a starter as a freshman and broke up seven passes in 2020. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS