Notre Dame Definitely A Contender For 2021 WR Christian Lewis

When Christian Lewis‍ locked in an unofficial visit to Notre Dame last fall, we asked the talented 2021 Alabama wide receiver why it was so important for him to get to South Bend with so many schools requesting his presence.

His answer shed some light on the importance of his support system during the process.

“My mom said she decided to sign me up for a visit because she said she could see me playing there and she wouldn’t mind me going there,” Lewis told ISD.

So, the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder made the trip and was impressed.

The two sides remained in contact and last month, the Irish extended a scholarship offer to Lewis.

“He has a lot of offers and there aren’t not a whole lot that I share, but that was one of the ones I shared,” Lewis’ mother, Camilla Lewis says. “I was very pleased.”

The other offers on his list include Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Duke among many more.

Mrs. Lewis says, “Notre Dame is a contender.”

“If you look at the various fields these universities have to offer, Notre Dame has a rich tradition as far as education,” she says. “It has a beautiful campus, a rich tradition from an educational standpoint and then when you look at the offerings from the athletic standpoint, it’s definitely been a school that has been able to compete as well.”

Mrs. Lewis enjoyed the visit to Notre Dame for the Irish’s win over Virginia Tech back in November.

“From my perception and interpretation of the program, it’s solid,” she says. “It’s grounded in tradition. It has a spirit of excellence, at least that’s what I walked away feeling.

“I would definitely feel good leaving my son in that program. It’s a beautiful campus, great atmosphere, beautiful team spirit, unity. I felt all of that.”

Mrs. Lewis embraces her role as a tactician when it comes to trying to get things done and that’s part of the advice she’s offering her son through the recruiting process.

“I’m not the fun parent,” she says. “I’m the one who makes them look at things black and white. If you make this decision, ‘This will be the trajectory. These are some of the things you can contemplate or plan as far happening.’

“You can’t plan every detail, but the details you can control, you definitely should.”

The Irish coaches didn’t spend as much time “wooing” Mrs. Lewis as they did her son, but she isn’t looking for any flashy sales pitches. Instead, she’s focused on academics and says there was “a lot of emphasis and forethought” in that area in South Bend.

“As a parent, I don’t want my child to be so enamored or overwhelmed with the athletic process or the expectations from the program that he doesn’t understand the real reason he’s there,” she says.

“I felt really good with my visit, I really did. I felt really, really good.”

With his senior year on the horizon, Lewis’ mother has asked him to provide her with a list of favorite schools that they can home in on down the stretch.

“I can’t send you everywhere, it’s not physically possible and it’s not financially feasible,” she says. “Give me a Top 6 and I want you to think about some things, the schools that help you accomplish your goals. The schools that don’t help you accomplish your goals should not make this list.”

Lewis is interested in pursuing a degree in sports medicine with the hopes of being a physician in the future and that’s what she’s reminding her son.

“As a parent and a mom, I was just really making sure he was looking at the things that coaches and trainers are saying you can do for their program, but let’s stop, pause and we really assess what these programs can do for you as far as helping you accomplish your degree goals,” Mrs. Lewis says.

As his mother said, the Irish are definitely contenders, but Lewis is considering all of his options and plans to announce his decision on Sept. 28th.