The week of Thanksgiving comes with some major news in the form of two new 2020 commits for the Hoosiers – Demarjhe Lewis and Vinny Sciury – as well as some recruits' reactions to the big Michigan recruiting weekend last week.
Damarjhe Lewis commits to Indiana
Three-star Georgia defensive lineman Damarjhe Lewis committed to Indiana on the evening of Thanksgiving, giving the Hoosiers their 15th commitment of the 2020 class and filling the void that JeJuan Sparks left behind when he de-committed earlier in November.
"It feels great, man," Lewis told TheHoosier.com on Thursday. "No more stressing."
Lewis had the Hoosiers in his top-three schools list that also included Auburn and LSU. He had been committed to Auburn for nine months before de-committing in May for a "lack of communication" after he committed, he told TheHoosier..com.
Lewis also held offers from Florida State, Miami, Penn State, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and others.
The defensive lineman didn't begin developing a relationship with Indiana until recently, when he was visited by IU defensive line coach Mark Hagen and offered by the Hoosiers on Sept. 22. He and head coach Tom Allen texted every day, and Lewis made his way to Bloomington for the first time on an official visit for the Michigan game.
“I was really just trying to see what kind of front they were running," Lewis said Sunday. "Right now, I feel like I could play at Indiana."
Lewis told TheHoosier.com that he plans on taking another visit to Indiana before the end of the year to have further discussions about the requirements and benefits of graduating early and getting to campus in January.
The Indiana staff could see Lewis playing multiple positions along the defensive line, but his frame – 6-3, 300 – lends itself to interior play.
Lewis mostly played interior at Griffin High School and displayed a quick first step and burst off the line, as well as the athleticism to bring down ball carriers in the backfield. He's a defensive lineman that could see the field early and often at the next level.
