Isaiah Lewis, Colorado Football News: Draft Scout Player News

08/14/22 - SS Isaiah Lewis, rSr/2023, Colorado

Like a lot of young players, Isaiah Lewis had to wait for his turn. Had the transfer portal and the one-time transfer exemption been an option early in his career at Colorado, perhaps he would not have been so patient. But, now entering his sixth and final season of college football, Lewis is grateful for the journey he's taken and the lessons learned. "I've always talked about just trusting the journey, sticking to the script, working hard, no matter what the circumstances," said Lewis, a returning starter at safety for the Buffaloes. "If I had advice to give to someone it's just put your head down and work. And at the end of the day, it's gonna go to who works the hardest. And as one of my coaches out of the Bay Area, Nate Kenion, told me, 'The cream will rise." A Sacramento native who graduated from Granite Bay (Calif.) High School in 2017, Lewis spent three years waiting.

He redshirted in 2017 and played a total of 29 defensive snaps from 2018-19. "(Transferring) was definitely in my mind," he said. "But for me, I didn't really see the benefits of what leaving could really do. I was just now getting into the system here, I was finally getting integrated in the playbook. I felt like I was mastering the playbook, as well. I didn't really see (transferring) as something that I needed to do, especially because I know that the guys who stick around here are the ones who are going to be fighting for each other and we could create a super strong bond over that. So I took that approach." Transferring was always an option, but before the spring of 2021, players who transferred had to sit out a full season at their next school or apply for an NCAA waiver. An NCAA rule change in 2021 now allows players to transfer one time without sitting out. Lewis said he's never seriously considered leaving CU, and he's glad he didn't. - Daily Camera

rSr/2023