Photo by: David Stluka
Lucas: Lewis, Shaw making immediate impact for Badgers
September 14, 2022 | Football, Mike Lucas
UCLA transfers in the middle of the action against Washington State
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – In telling his story, Wisconsin wide receiver Keontez Lewis pointed to the wrist band; a constant reminder of a young friend who was killed by random gun fire and an East St. Louis (Ill.) High School football team that was motivated by tragedy and won a state championship.
Jaylon McKenzie's name is on the wrist band. "I was really close to him," Lewis said.
McKenzie was a 14-year-old phenom featured in a Sports Illustrated article entitled, "Six teens who will rule the future of sports." As an eighth grader, he had already received D-1 scholarship offers. But in early May of 2019, he was struck by a stray bullet while attending a house party.
"It was," Lewis remembered sadly, "a wrong place at the wrong type of thing."
McKenzie was months away from joining the East St. Louis High School varsity. In March, the very same program had been rocked by the weight room death of sophomore Jermaine Falconer, who collapsed and passed out lifting during an off-season training session. He was 16.
East St. Louis dedicated the 2019 season to McKenzie (who wore No. 6) and Falconer (No. 74).
"We lost some brothers," Lewis said, "and we all came together as a team and made that run."
What a team. What a run. The Flyers went 14-0. They were viewed as the prep version of the 1985 Chicago Bears. They were best of class – any class in Illinois with wins over Batavia (7A), Neuqua Valley (8A) and Naperville Central (8A). They averaged 50 points and scored 60-plus four times.
In the IHSA Class 6A championship game, East St. Louis overwhelmed Prairie Ridge, 43-21, at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb for the school's ninth state title. Quarterback Tyler Macon threw for 309 yards. Dominic Lovett had 5 catches for 118 yards while Lewis had three receptions for 109 and a score.
"That whole season was crazy," Lewis recalled. "We beat everyone in running the table."
McKenzie and Falconer were never far from their minds. Or hearts.
Said Lewis, "We had that 'why' in knowing what we were playing for."
That 2019 title matchup was the last time Lewis caught a pass in a game. Until Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. With 29 seconds left in the first half against Washington State, Lewis was on the receiving end of a 40-yard toss from quarterback Graham Mertz that led to a touchdown and 14-7 lead.
"I've been thinking about it so long – I just never knew when it was going to come – I was patiently waiting, so it really feels good to get it out of the way," Lewis said of his first college reception. "It was just a deep ball. I ran fast and got behind my man (Chris Jackson) and made the catch."
With a sigh, he said, "It felt good. It felt really comfortable."
Lewis had a 22-yard catch in the third quarter and drew a pass interference flag in the fourth.
"Even before the catches, I was confident," he said. "Now, I'm even more confident."
&&&
Lewis could have gone just about anywhere to play his college football. In drawing scholarship offers from schools in all the Power Five conferences, he had six or seven from Big Ten programs (though Wisconsin was not one of them). Ultimately, he chose UCLA over Mississippi.
Because COVID wiped out the 2020 fall season at East St. Louis, he didn't feel like waiting around to play an abbreviated senior year schedule in the spring, so he graduated instead and was an early enrollee at UCLA in January of 2021. One of his new teammates was Jay Shaw.
"When we started winter workouts, he was out there and I was like, 'Who's this J-Lew kid?'" said Shaw, a cornerback from Corona, California. "They told me he was an early enrollee from St. Lous. I always give credit to guys who graduate high school early. I feel like that's a big commitment.
"I didn't do it because I ran into some complications. Since I know how complicated that can be, I tip my hat to guys who do. Me and J-Lew had a little battle. Three reps – back-to-back-to back – where me and him went at it. What stood out to me was that I was a senior and he wasn't backing down."
Speaking to that encounter, Lewis said, "I won some, he won some. It was a great battle."
Under fourth-year head coach Chip Kelly, the Bruins went 8-4 in 2021 and tied for second (6-3) with Arizona State behind Utah in the Pac-12 South. Shaw tied for the team lead with three interceptions and was named second-team all-conference. Lewis played in 11 games with one start.
Utilized as a blocker and decoy, he didn't have a single reception. He was targeted only twice.
"I was on the field, but balls didn't come my way," he said with a shrug.
Considering UCLA's wide receiver coach and Lewis' principle recruiting contact (Jimmie Dougherty) had taken a job at University of Arizona shortly after he got to Los Angeles, Lewis thought, "I just needed a change to try and get more involved with an offense. Somewhere I could fit in better."
Wisconsin provided Lewis with that fit through the transfer portal. "I talked with coach (Alvis) Whitted and he let me know how he really liked me," Lewis said of his initial conversation with Whitted, the UW receiver coach. "I felt like everything was genuine and real. I just felt like it was the right spot."
Plus, the Madison campus was less than a five-hour drive from his home in East St. Louis.
"That makes a big difference, too, because my family can come and watch me play," Lewis said. "I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable here. My biggest adjustment was just starting over again, starting from the bottom, and trying to work my way up and earn respect."
After Lewis decided on transferring to Wisconsin, Shaw followed through the portal. "I made a decision first and once I found out that they were trying to recruit him, we ended up talking about it," Lewis said. "He was telling me how much he liked it here and he wanted to come."
Shaw had his own reasons for leaving UCLA. "I knew that I wanted to go to a conference that they talk about – they talk about the Big Ten and they talk about the SEC," said Shaw, who was sold on the Badgers after talking with cornerback coach Hank Poteat and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Factoring into his decision was the fact that Poteat and Leonhard both played in the National Football League. "I've been thinking about playing in the NFL my whole life," said Shaw. "This is a goal that I've had since I was a kid. As a player, I wanted more, I just wanted more competition."
Last Saturday, Shaw picked off a Cameron Ward pass in the third quarter only to have the ball knocked loose by wide receiver Lincoln Victor and recovered by center Konner Gomness. Six plays later, Washington State scored to take a 17-14 lead and the Cougars made it stand up for an upset victory.
"I've looked at the video, the pictures, everything, I'm still trying to figure out how the ball got knocked out," Shaw said. "He (Victor) was on my blindside, and it was one of those things where I just have to pick it and go. I just have to catch the ball and make what I can. You live and you learn."
Revisiting the double turnover, Leonhard said, "Give the receiver credit, coming from out of bounds, snapping back on to the field and attacking the football, it was a really good play on his part. You always have to be smart as a DB, or anyone on defense, because you lose track of guys.
"You don't know what's around you, so the emphasis is always on ball security in those situations. It's tough, but you don't have to say much to a guy like Jay. He's very smart. He has a high football IQ. He knows you have to protect the ball. He's trying to make a play and make the guy miss.
"I've got a lot of confidence in the way he's playing and what he's doing for this team.
"He's going to continue to get better as he gets even more comfortable in this defense."
The same appears to be true of Lewis and his comfort level with the Badger offense.
"He has great size and speed – that's how he's a threat," Leonhard said of the 6-2, 190-pound Lewis. "To see him out there playing with confidence is a lot of fun. He came in this spring and made some big plays like that (against Washington State) and opened the coaches' eyes very quickly."
To actually do it in a game, like Lewis did on Saturday with his two catches, was an important step. "It's the first introduction for some of the fans to who these guys are," Leonhard said. "It's always exciting to see those guys get opportunities and make the most out of them."
Nobody knows that better than UW offensive coordinator Bobby Engram, a former three-time All-American wide receiver and Biletnikoff winner at Penn State. On Lewis' development, he said, "Number one, he's a worker. He loves the game. He cares about it. He works hard at practice.
"He's fast. He's long. Those are good traits to have. He's continuing to perfect his route running. I was happy for Keontez to see him make a couple of big plays for our offense. That's a product of the hard work that he has put in, not just this fall, but all the way back to this spring."
Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst noted, much to his delight, that Lewis understands that the game of football is a contact sport. And he applies himself accordingly. In addition, Chryst said, "He's a competitive, talented player … he can run, and he's got a good receiving radius."
To which Lewis said, "I feel like I can stretch the field in many ways."
 All he needed was a chance. And the ball.
"If you see the things that he can do, he just plays receiver really well," Shaw said. "In my eyes, there's nothing that K-Lew can't do. It's his catch radius, his size, his speed. He has it all. I was really excited for him (Saturday). We're all brothers. But me and K-Lew have a little deeper connection."
One that Lewis is now building with Mertz.
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – In telling his story, Wisconsin wide receiver Keontez Lewis pointed to the wrist band; a constant reminder of a young friend who was killed by random gun fire and an East St. Louis (Ill.) High School football team that was motivated by tragedy and won a state championship.
Jaylon McKenzie's name is on the wrist band. "I was really close to him," Lewis said.
McKenzie was a 14-year-old phenom featured in a Sports Illustrated article entitled, "Six teens who will rule the future of sports." As an eighth grader, he had already received D-1 scholarship offers. But in early May of 2019, he was struck by a stray bullet while attending a house party.
"It was," Lewis remembered sadly, "a wrong place at the wrong type of thing."
McKenzie was months away from joining the East St. Louis High School varsity. In March, the very same program had been rocked by the weight room death of sophomore Jermaine Falconer, who collapsed and passed out lifting during an off-season training session. He was 16.
East St. Louis dedicated the 2019 season to McKenzie (who wore No. 6) and Falconer (No. 74).
"We lost some brothers," Lewis said, "and we all came together as a team and made that run."
What a team. What a run. The Flyers went 14-0. They were viewed as the prep version of the 1985 Chicago Bears. They were best of class – any class in Illinois with wins over Batavia (7A), Neuqua Valley (8A) and Naperville Central (8A). They averaged 50 points and scored 60-plus four times.
In the IHSA Class 6A championship game, East St. Louis overwhelmed Prairie Ridge, 43-21, at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb for the school's ninth state title. Quarterback Tyler Macon threw for 309 yards. Dominic Lovett had 5 catches for 118 yards while Lewis had three receptions for 109 and a score.
"That whole season was crazy," Lewis recalled. "We beat everyone in running the table."
McKenzie and Falconer were never far from their minds. Or hearts.
Said Lewis, "We had that 'why' in knowing what we were playing for."
That 2019 title matchup was the last time Lewis caught a pass in a game. Until Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. With 29 seconds left in the first half against Washington State, Lewis was on the receiving end of a 40-yard toss from quarterback Graham Mertz that led to a touchdown and 14-7 lead.
"I've been thinking about it so long – I just never knew when it was going to come – I was patiently waiting, so it really feels good to get it out of the way," Lewis said of his first college reception. "It was just a deep ball. I ran fast and got behind my man (Chris Jackson) and made the catch."
With a sigh, he said, "It felt good. It felt really comfortable."
Lewis had a 22-yard catch in the third quarter and drew a pass interference flag in the fourth.
"Even before the catches, I was confident," he said. "Now, I'm even more confident."
&&&
Lewis could have gone just about anywhere to play his college football. In drawing scholarship offers from schools in all the Power Five conferences, he had six or seven from Big Ten programs (though Wisconsin was not one of them). Ultimately, he chose UCLA over Mississippi.
Because COVID wiped out the 2020 fall season at East St. Louis, he didn't feel like waiting around to play an abbreviated senior year schedule in the spring, so he graduated instead and was an early enrollee at UCLA in January of 2021. One of his new teammates was Jay Shaw.
"When we started winter workouts, he was out there and I was like, 'Who's this J-Lew kid?'" said Shaw, a cornerback from Corona, California. "They told me he was an early enrollee from St. Lous. I always give credit to guys who graduate high school early. I feel like that's a big commitment.
"I didn't do it because I ran into some complications. Since I know how complicated that can be, I tip my hat to guys who do. Me and J-Lew had a little battle. Three reps – back-to-back-to back – where me and him went at it. What stood out to me was that I was a senior and he wasn't backing down."
Speaking to that encounter, Lewis said, "I won some, he won some. It was a great battle."
Under fourth-year head coach Chip Kelly, the Bruins went 8-4 in 2021 and tied for second (6-3) with Arizona State behind Utah in the Pac-12 South. Shaw tied for the team lead with three interceptions and was named second-team all-conference. Lewis played in 11 games with one start.
Utilized as a blocker and decoy, he didn't have a single reception. He was targeted only twice.
"I was on the field, but balls didn't come my way," he said with a shrug.
Considering UCLA's wide receiver coach and Lewis' principle recruiting contact (Jimmie Dougherty) had taken a job at University of Arizona shortly after he got to Los Angeles, Lewis thought, "I just needed a change to try and get more involved with an offense. Somewhere I could fit in better."
Wisconsin provided Lewis with that fit through the transfer portal. "I talked with coach (Alvis) Whitted and he let me know how he really liked me," Lewis said of his initial conversation with Whitted, the UW receiver coach. "I felt like everything was genuine and real. I just felt like it was the right spot."
Plus, the Madison campus was less than a five-hour drive from his home in East St. Louis.
"That makes a big difference, too, because my family can come and watch me play," Lewis said. "I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable here. My biggest adjustment was just starting over again, starting from the bottom, and trying to work my way up and earn respect."
After Lewis decided on transferring to Wisconsin, Shaw followed through the portal. "I made a decision first and once I found out that they were trying to recruit him, we ended up talking about it," Lewis said. "He was telling me how much he liked it here and he wanted to come."
Shaw had his own reasons for leaving UCLA. "I knew that I wanted to go to a conference that they talk about – they talk about the Big Ten and they talk about the SEC," said Shaw, who was sold on the Badgers after talking with cornerback coach Hank Poteat and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Factoring into his decision was the fact that Poteat and Leonhard both played in the National Football League. "I've been thinking about playing in the NFL my whole life," said Shaw. "This is a goal that I've had since I was a kid. As a player, I wanted more, I just wanted more competition."
Last Saturday, Shaw picked off a Cameron Ward pass in the third quarter only to have the ball knocked loose by wide receiver Lincoln Victor and recovered by center Konner Gomness. Six plays later, Washington State scored to take a 17-14 lead and the Cougars made it stand up for an upset victory.
"I've looked at the video, the pictures, everything, I'm still trying to figure out how the ball got knocked out," Shaw said. "He (Victor) was on my blindside, and it was one of those things where I just have to pick it and go. I just have to catch the ball and make what I can. You live and you learn."
Revisiting the double turnover, Leonhard said, "Give the receiver credit, coming from out of bounds, snapping back on to the field and attacking the football, it was a really good play on his part. You always have to be smart as a DB, or anyone on defense, because you lose track of guys.
"You don't know what's around you, so the emphasis is always on ball security in those situations. It's tough, but you don't have to say much to a guy like Jay. He's very smart. He has a high football IQ. He knows you have to protect the ball. He's trying to make a play and make the guy miss.
"I've got a lot of confidence in the way he's playing and what he's doing for this team.
"He's going to continue to get better as he gets even more comfortable in this defense."
The same appears to be true of Lewis and his comfort level with the Badger offense.
"He has great size and speed – that's how he's a threat," Leonhard said of the 6-2, 190-pound Lewis. "To see him out there playing with confidence is a lot of fun. He came in this spring and made some big plays like that (against Washington State) and opened the coaches' eyes very quickly."
To actually do it in a game, like Lewis did on Saturday with his two catches, was an important step. "It's the first introduction for some of the fans to who these guys are," Leonhard said. "It's always exciting to see those guys get opportunities and make the most out of them."
Nobody knows that better than UW offensive coordinator Bobby Engram, a former three-time All-American wide receiver and Biletnikoff winner at Penn State. On Lewis' development, he said, "Number one, he's a worker. He loves the game. He cares about it. He works hard at practice.
"He's fast. He's long. Those are good traits to have. He's continuing to perfect his route running. I was happy for Keontez to see him make a couple of big plays for our offense. That's a product of the hard work that he has put in, not just this fall, but all the way back to this spring."
Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst noted, much to his delight, that Lewis understands that the game of football is a contact sport. And he applies himself accordingly. In addition, Chryst said, "He's a competitive, talented player … he can run, and he's got a good receiving radius."
To which Lewis said, "I feel like I can stretch the field in many ways."
 All he needed was a chance. And the ball.
"If you see the things that he can do, he just plays receiver really well," Shaw said. "In my eyes, there's nothing that K-Lew can't do. It's his catch radius, his size, his speed. He has it all. I was really excited for him (Saturday). We're all brothers. But me and K-Lew have a little deeper connection."
One that Lewis is now building with Mertz.
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