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BOCA RATON – Less than a year ago Rasaan Lewis spent a week helping UCF prepare to beat FAU.
This week the script flips.
A preferred walk-on defensive back last year for the Knights, Lewis intends to catch passes against his former unit mates on Saturday when No. 18 UCF visits his new school, Florida Atlantic.
“It will be fun,” said Lewis, who transferred to FAU over the summer and now plays wide receiver – a position transition that began at UCF in spring practices. “I feel like any sport, any game, whether it’s serious or not it’s always more fun when you play versus people you know. And a lot of them I knew before I went to college.”
Upon arriving in Boca Raton, Lewis, the son of Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, immediately found something that’s proved elusive during his football career: a teammate with a similar background.
This summer Lewis shared a dorm room with Terique Owens, son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens. Like Rasaan, Terique transferred to FAU this summer as a walk-on.
“I definitely feel like we understood each other more because we understood how each other grew up, the same situation – dad flying in from somewhere, then had to fly back out or stuff like that,” Lewis said.
Owens also felt the immediate bond.
“Both of our dads are Hall of Famers, we kind of just clicked over that,” Owens said. “We kind of had the same similarities.”
Owens and Lewis bonded over life’s little frustrations that accompany being the child of a famous parent – like having your father constantly asked to pose for pictures.
“I feel like as a child growing up you just want to have time with your dad, beside what he is or who he is. The people are bothering him,” Lewis said. “Now I understand it more.”
Lewis and Owens aren’t the only Owls with famous relatives. Warren Sapp II is the son of the Hall of Fame defensive tackle and safety Jeff James, a former Miami Hurricane, is the nephew of Edgerrin James. Next season running back Frank Gore Jr., currently committed to FAU’s 2020 recruiting class, will join the Owls.
“I do think that it shows that your elite players, the greats to ever play the game, they are sending their kids to be coached by us,” FAU coach Lane Kiffin said. “I think that says something.”
Neither Lewis nor Owens saw the field in FAU’s season-opening loss to No. 5 Ohio St. on Satuday, in large part because the Owls’ offense strung together so many three-and-outs that there wasn’t much need to rotate receivers.
With injuries sidelining the Owls starting wide receivers during came, Lewis actually spent a few days working with the first team. He remains ahead of Owens, who potentially could redshirt this season, on the depth chart.
More of a traditional slot receiver, Lewis transitioned to wide out as the Owls combated those injuries.
Considering he played on the defensive side of the ball at UCF, Lewis is a surprisingly accomplished route runner. And quarterbacks rave about his ability to wait until the last moment to put his hands up to catch the ball, thereby giving the defensive back little time to react.
“Really the catching-late thing is all just focus,” Lewis said. “If you know the ball’s still coming and you know where it’s supposed to be at you can wait as long as you want as long as you get around quick enough to catch it. So that’s why I can be patient and just wait for the ball to come and go catch it.”
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