Why Danny Lewis Jr. is the Perfect Topper to Alabama's Stellar Recruiting Class

The three-star tight end represented a major win for the Crimson Tide on National Signing Day.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Regardless of how National Signing Day played out for Alabama, Nick Saban was always going to speak glowingly of this year’s signing class. For good reason, too. The Crimson Tide entered the day having already brought in 23 players during the early signing period — a group that included four five-star recruits and 12 members of the SI99.

Landing three-star tight end Danny Lewis Jr. on Wednesday served as the cherry on top of a class that was unanimously rated No. 2 in the nation. Only in this case, Saban and his staff had a hankering for cherries.

Alabama’s urgency at tight end increased a bit over the past few months due to a pair of setbacks at the position. First came Jahleel Skinner’s surprising flip, as the nation’s top tight end signed with Miami on Dec. 17, breaking his two-month commitment to the Crimson Tide.

Alabama's tight end depth was hit again a day after its national championship game defeat to Georgia as it saw Jahleel Billingsley put his name in the transfer portal. Five days later, the once-promising pass-catcher announced his transfer to Texas.

Alabama received a boost as starter Cameron Latu announced his plan to return for a final season. Blocking tight end Kendall Randolph did the same shortly after, taking advantage of his extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. The Crimson Tide also added a pair of tight end signees in Amari NiBlack and Elijah Brown.

Still, Nick Saban felt the unit needed more reinforcement.

At first, Alabama turned to the transfer portal. However, despite its success at plucking players at other positions, it failed to find an option up to its standards. Instead, Saban and his staff set back out on the recruiting trail to find an alternative.

“We really looked hard for guys in this class that had really good senior years that maybe were a little late-developing,” Saban explained during his National Signing Day press conference.

Lewis, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound tight end coming off an MVP performance during the Louisiana Class 4A championship game, fit that description to a tee. Despite falling under the radar, Lewis put together a solid senior campaign, hauling in 46 receptions for 912 yards and six touchdowns. The New Iberia native recorded six of those catches for 179 yards and a touchdown in the Superdome to lead Westgate High School to its first state title.

Lewis, a former Cincinnati commit, backed off his pledge to the Bearcats on Jan. 12 after receiving offers from Florida and LSU. A week later, Alabama came in with an offer, prompting Lewis to visit Tuscaloosa for the first time on Jan. 21.

From there, Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding put on the full press, battling out LSU head coach Brian Kelly’s dance moves as well as Florida’s staff and its Louisiana connections for the tight end’s signature.

“I really like Danny. He’s got a great family— people in South Louisiana are great people,” Saban said. “He's been very successful as a basketball player and was very productive this year as a football player.

“He's got great size. I think he runs well. He's a good blocker. Tight end is a position where it used to be when Ozzie Newsome played tight end, you just lined up by the tackle, put your hand in the dirt and that was what a tight end did. Now a tight end does that, he plays wide receiver, and he also plays H-back off the ball which now is more like a fullback. So it's really hard to find guys that can do all those things. I think Danny has a chance to be a guy that can do those things.”

Alabama views Lewis primarily as an in-line blocker, making him a nice complement to NiBlack, who is seen more as a pass-catching threat, and Brown, who projects as a mixture of the two.

“I think that tight end is one of the positions that we have some need at,” Saban said, “so to be able to get three players in this class that have a chance to develop and maybe contribute is probably real positive for us. And we like all three guys.”

Lewis will still need to polish his blocking skills in order to reach his potential. However, his talent combined with Alabama’s need at the tight end position could see him net playing time early in his career.

Alabama is set to lose its top in-line blocker in Latu next offseason and, until Wednesday, didn’t have an obvious replacement who matched the starter's skill set. That’s what makes Lewis’ class-topping signature all the sweeter for Saban and the Crimson Tide. 

A look at Alabama's 2022 TE class

Danny Lewis Jr., 6-4, 255, New Iberia, La.

What they're saying: "His frame enables him to win vertically, but he has the subtle athleticism to gear down and adjust to the football like a smaller player could. The physicality of what he does after the catch jumps out on tape at every turn. Lewis is comfortable working in the trenches or out wide, making plays at the apex when the whole stadium knows he is getting the rock.

"As he polishes up his in-line blocking, Lewis has the chance to become a classic tight end type from an alignment perspective, but also one athletic enough to be used as a modern H-back or even dabble in the slot and/or in space on occasion." — John Garcia Jr., Director of Football Recruiting for SI All-American

Amari NiBlack, 6-4, 225, Clearwater, Fla.

What they're saying: "While working attached to the line of scrimmage, he is a willing blocker with great urgency at the point of attack, with length and leg drive to boot, including true comfort getting to the second or third level. While lined up split out, as he often is, he is a true dual-threat with the ability to stretch the field like a big wide receiver due to his stride, range and catch radius.

"As his frame fills out even more, Niblack has a chance to develop into a true mismatch nightmare in the SEC as the technique and receiving polish improves." — John Garcia Jr., Director of Football Recruiting for SI All-American

Elijah Brown, 6-5, 238, Dayton, Ohio

What they're saying: "I've seen him grow so much as a person and a player. What he allows us to do is create mismatches in the game. He has soft hands and he is a really good player. He's the kind of guy that looks forward to whatever challenge is in front of him." — Roosevelt Mukes Jr., head coach Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio