The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2025 season in 76 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 76 - redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jeff Lewis.
Jeff Lewis's background
As the son of tight end Chad Lewis, a BYU and NFL legend, Jeff Lewis is a legacy player with close ties to the program. He prepped at nearby Orem High School before serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Philippines. Last year Dick Harmon of the Deseret News published a profile about Lewis and the numerous, significant health-related challenges he experienced during his missionary service, and it's worth a read. If nothing else, Jeff Lewis is tough and resilient.
The 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive tackle wasn't a big-time recruit coming out of high school in 2022. He doesn't have a 247 Sports profile and joined BYU as a walk-on.
Lewis's potential impact in 2025
Like most unheralded walk-on freshman returned missionaries, Jeff Lewis's first season in offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick's offense will likely be one of watching, learning, and developing. He's listed as a true freshman on the roster and should therefore have a redshirt season available, and it wouldn't be surprising for 2025 to be a redshirt year.
Jeff Lewis has the size and the genetics to find long-term success at BYU. But with the team in win-now mode and a host of more experienced veterans and highly-recruited underclassmen likely ahead of him on the depth chart, success for Jeff Lewis this year is to make noticeable strides in his technique, knowledge, and strength in his first year of Power Four football.