Lewis was among four players when the season was in question to opt-out, citing the death of a family member as to why he decided to opt-out this year. On Sept. 16, Lewis made the decision to opt back in when more stringent COVID-19 protocols were created.

“There isn’t a question on whether I love football or not,” Lewis said in a Sept. 16 tweet. “I put safety and health first. Now that we have all the right resources, I feel more comfortable and ready to ball! Excited for what’s in store for us Spartans this season.”

Despite seeing the field on special teams on a few occasions last season, Lewis has not been given the chance to play thus far. Lewis did retain his freshman status last season as he only played in three games.

The former three-star linebacker from Eastpointe, MI will have the chance to field offers from teams now that he is in the NCAA transfer portal. Despite his recent move, Lewis still has the opportunity to remain in East Lansing should he decide to remove his name like Michigan State running back Connor Heyward did over the course of this offseason. 

The linebacker position will now lose even more depth for a unit that was already shallow with players available to play. Because of the lack of depth, the Spartans are currently utilizing a 4-2-5 defensive scheme that only deploys two linebackers onto the field for any given play.

Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker will have to find more depth at the linebacker position going forward through recruiting or the transfer portal with the potential loss of Lewis to another program.

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