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Tyrone Lewis, a redshirt freshman defensive back out of Hammond, La, announced he was entering the transfer portal this afternoon.
Kansas State safety Tyrone Lewis has entered the transfer portal.https://t.co/O1h7R2Iw2s pic.twitter.com/0JNJ6TFN0C
— K-StateOnline (@K_StateOnline) November 13, 2020
Lewis has appeared in 7 games this season and contributed 3 tackles, with his best game coming in a 2 tackle performance against Kansas. He was clearly frustrated with his playing time and progression in the Wildcat system and voiced his concerned via his twitter account in early October.
Giving your all into something you love and there’s no progress.. Is depressing.
— Tyrone Lewis Jr. (@tyronelewis320) October 14, 2020
It appeared he was in a better place earlier this month ...
Be patient kid, it’s coming. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/YLyT9eBceI
— Tyrone Lewis Jr. (@tyronelewis320) November 9, 2020
but things have obviously changed.
By my count, Lewis is the 8th member of the K-State 2019 class (Herron, Pola-Mao, Lewis, Wilson, Grayson, Youngblood, Reed, Alexander) to transfer thus far. That’s not ideal when you’re a program that needs to let kids grow in your system.
At the same time, I wouldn’t look to much into these transfers.
2020 has been a brutal year for everyone, and I can only imagine that goes doubly for players far away from home. My small family lives across the country from all our kin and it’s been tough for my wife and I to be far removed from our support system during these trying times, and we’ve lived across the country from them for over 10 years. I can only imagine the stress on a 19/20 year old kid trying to make it in a strange place, removed from the support and comfort of home.
When you’re already stressed by 2020, all the little things you normally shrug off weigh heavy your shoulders. Throw in a tumultuous off-season and the in-season death of a teammate and it’s hard not to commiserate with these young men wanting a fresh start.
It’s a shame it didn’t work out for Lewis in Manhattan, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I hope he lands on his feet a little closer to home.
In the meantime, the coaching staff is now in a rush to fill a few unanticipated scholarship openings for the 2021 class. It will be interesting to see if they use those scholarships now or bank them for what looks like a promising 2022 class.
Either way, this too shall pass.
Y’all stay safe out there.