Meet Mr. Melvin Lewis

Defensive Tackle 6’4”, 320 lbs. Fullerton, CA Chose UK Over: Miami (FL) and Washington Twitter: @BigMel94   Defensive line Coach Jimmy Brumbaugh added another big body to the defensive line yesterday with the addition of JUCO DT Melvin Lewis. Like Za'Darius Smith, Lewis attended JUCO after only playing a couple high school football seasons. The difference between the two is that Lewis will likely redshirt this season and expects to start in his final two years of eligibility. Last season at Fullerton Community College Lewis racked up 41 tackles (26 solo) and 3.5 sacks.   Lewis fits the prototype that Coach Brumbaugh laid down on National Signing Day. "You want to make sure you’ve got a guy that has size and speed that can hold up in the SEC. You don’t want just an edge pass rusher; you don’t want just a big run stopper; you want to find that happy medium that can do both. That’s why I always look for size, speed, and change of direction." Probably Lewis' best trait is his ability to change directions quickly. He is light on his feet, clocking in at 4.9 in the 40 yard dash (pretty impressive for a 320 pound person).   The decision was made easy for Lewis after building a great relationship with Brumbaugh, telling Justin Rowland it was "just because of the coaches". Brumbaugh takes a great pride in his family oriented coaching style. "The way I teach my guys is that I want to make sure they’re all a family. If one guy is doing it right on the left-side and the right-side isn’t cutting it, they’re going to run it to the right-side and the left-side isn’t going to make any plays, but if I’m solid across the front than we’re good and that’s what I want to build." Brumbaugh's style has added numbers to his line; all that's left to see is if that transitions into success on the field.   Since he was a JUCO he leaves us without Ratings or the ability to embed his highlight video. You can still enjoy it here.