Shortly after the Texas Tech football team won Home victory 30-22 On Saturday against Arizona State, Chapman Lewis’ phone vibrated with a familiar ID. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson extended his hand to his protégé to offer his congratulations.
“He told me he liked the way I played. He liked watching me play,” Lewis said Tuesday. “I just texted him back, ‘I’m just trying to be like you.'”
Taylor-Demerson, the Arizona Cardinals’ starting safety, has been a mainstay in Tech’s defensive secondary for five years. Lewis spent last year as Taylor-Demerson’s apprentice and now plays that role. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound sophomore from Burleson Centennial intercepted passes in back-to-back games against Washington State and North Texas, then was credited with seven tackles and a pass breakup against Arizona State.
Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter detailed how Lewis has fared in his first month as a Big 12 starting safety.
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“He’s a player that has a knack for being a football player that understands the game,” DeRuyter said, “so he plays faster than normal. He’s not very big, but he’s not afraid to make a physical tackle. He can trigger. He can diagnose a play and know when to go to the right angles.
“So I think the more playing time he gets, the more comfortable he gets, the more food he eats in practice to get his weight back where we want it, he’s going to be a tremendous football player for us. Losing Rabbit (Taylor-Demerson) at that position last year was a concern, but I think Chapman does a really good job filling those roles.”
Texas Tech football player Chapman Lewis shows diverse skill set
DeRuyter made these observations last week Before Texas Tech played Arizona State. Lewis then gave examples.
Physical tackles: Lewis delivered punishing hits to quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Cam Skattebo on fourth-quarter plays. While there did not appear to be any malicious intent on Lewis’ part, his helmet-to-helmet collision with Skattebo briefly sidelined the Sun Devils’ leading rusher.
Trigger: ASU scored two points after scoring with 1:39 left. Lewis took a pass up the middle and ran it back into the end zone.
Diagnosing a play and taking the right angle: On a fourth-and-1 in the third quarter, Leavitt stripped the ball on a play-action fake and ran hard to his right, rushing to the perimeter. Linebacker Ben Roberts tripped Leavitt and Lewis finished him off for no gain and a turnover on downs.
“I’m proud of every play that helps my team win the game,” Lewis said. “The fourth-down stop. The play at the end in the end zone. All of that makes you feel good inside, but honestly, it’s just about doing my job, being in the right spot to make a play for my team.”
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Comparing Texas Tech Football Defensive Back Chapman Lewis to Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
Taylor-Demerson finished his career with 224 tackles, 33 pass deflections, 10 interceptions and three fumble recoveries, earning him some distinction in the Big 12 over his final three years. The Cardinals selected him in the fourth round.
Taylor-Demerson had the edge over Lewis in experience and speed. Lewis is three inches taller and displays similar playmaking instincts and enthusiasm.
“I feel sorry for people when he gets to 190-something and 200 pounds,” Tech coach Joey McGuire said, “because he’s a big contact player and he’s got a very high football IQ.”
Tech coaches credit Taylor-Demerson with accelerating the development of three safeties: Lewis, Brenden Jordan and Jordan Sanford. Lewis and Sanford are the only two free agents. Jordan is second team after AJ McCarty as a star safety and sixth defensive back in dime packages. All three joined the program in January 2023 and have played in nearly every game as freshmen.
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McGuire said all three men showed initiative when they entered campus, regularly doing optional activities, post-workout film study after last spring training.
Taylor-Demerson’s habits rubbed off on him.
“Last year, Chapman saw all the work Rabbit put in: film study, drills, all that stuff,” DeRuyter said. “Chap was there as a kid last year and said, ‘Oh, this is what you do if you want to play in the league.’”
An NFL career may not be what Lewis’ mother had imagined. Both of his parents are assistant principals. Lewis recently joked that his mother “really wanted me to be a nerd.”
Now, if he misses an assignment in a college classroom, Lewis said secondary coach Marcel Yates will tell the parents and then he’ll hear about it.
“It’s always school that comes first,” he said, “and then they want me to do well on the football field, too.”
Don Williams has been covering Texas Tech sports since 1986. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @AJ_DonWilliams.
This article was originally published in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech Football Player Chapman Lewis Follows Dadrion Taylor-Demerson’s Model
