Kahlil Lewis (born August 31, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver. He was selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2020 XFL draft.[1] In the summer after his senior year of college, he spent time on the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons roster before being waived a week before the season began. Lewis played four years of college football at the University of Cincinnati from 2015 to 2019.
 Lewis with the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | August 31, 1997 Miramar, Florida, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Miramar High School (Florida) |
| College: | Cincinnati |
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Undrafted: | 2019 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Early life
editLewis grew up in Miami, Florida. His father passed away when he was three years old. Lewis attended Miramar High School, where he played football and basketball. He averaged 15 points per game on the basketball court but decided to focus on football in college. Rated a three star recruit, Lewis committed to Cincinnati over offers from Ohio State, West Virginia, Louisville, Nebraska and his hometown Miami Hurricanes.[2]
College career
editAs a freshman at Cincinnati, Lewis largely played backup wide receiver and caught three passes for 53 yards. In his sophomore season in 2016, Lewis made 48 receptions for 605 yards and five touchdowns. As a junior, he was the team's primary receiver and had 61 catches for 676 yards and seven touchdowns, though the team finished 4-8.[2] As a senior, Lewis had 56 receptions for 782 yards and nine touchdowns. On October 27, 2018, Lewis had 12 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns against SMU. In his final game at Nippert Stadium, Lewis caught nine passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns in a win against East Carolina. He helped the Bearcats defeat Virginia Tech 35-31 in the 2018 Military Bowl and scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery.[3]
Professional career
editAtlanta Falcons
editLewis was briefly signed by the Atlanta Falcons but waived in the preseason.
Seattle Seahawks
editHe was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks but waived on September 2, 2019.[4]
Houston Roughnecks
editLewis was selected 15th overall by the Houston Roughnecks in the 2020 XFL draft.[5] On February 8, 2020, in his XFL debut for Houston against the Los Angeles Wildcats, Lewis had five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown but garnered attention for vomiting on the field.[6] He finished the season with 24 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown.[7] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[8]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (first stint)
editLewis signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL on February 2, 2021.[9] He was released on June 10, 2021.[10]
Philadelphia Stars
editLewis signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League on April 30, 2022,[11] and was subsequently transferred to the team's inactive roster.[12] On February 23, 2023, Lewis was released by the Stars.[13]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (second stint)
editOn March 8, 2023, Lewis signed with the Tiger-Cats for his second stint with the team.[14] On June 3, 2023, Lewis was released by the Tiger-Cats.[15]
References
edit- ^ "XFL Draft - Selecting Players for the 2020 Season". www.xfl.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ a b Groeschen, Tom (August 20, 2018). "Cincinnati Bearcats: Wide receiver Kahlil Lewis is No. 1, in more ways than one". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ Neuffer, Phil (January 16, 2019). "Kahlil Lewis: An Appreciation". Down the Drive. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Kahlil Lewis: Waived by Seahawks". CBS Sports. September 2, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ Huffmon, Matt (October 15, 2019). "UC football: Which former Bearcats were selected in the XFL Draft?". The News Record. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ Staszewski, Joseph (February 8, 2020). "XFL's Kahlil Lewis projectile vomits during Houston Roughnecks game". New York Post. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Kahlil Lewis". XFL. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats sign three Americans on offence". February 2, 2021. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats add trio of American players to roster". TiCats.ca. June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ @USFLStars (April 30, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved April 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLStars (April 30, 2022). "Transferred to inactive roster" (Tweet). Retrieved April 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLStars (February 23, 2023). "Released" (Tweet). Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats release 21 in final roster cuts, including receiver Papi White". 3DownNation. Retrieved June 3, 2023.