Redshirt junior defensive lineman Tre’Jon Lewis (right) is one of 13 children in his family, which forced him to deal with different personalities growing up in Texas. (Photo by EIUPanthers.com)
Editor’s note: Moving the Chains is a weekly feature during the season highlighting players from the four Illinois FCS programs with a mix of football, family and fun questions.
By Barry Bottino
Leaving Texas Tech after three seasons and coming to Charleston was a big change for Eastern Illinois defensive lineman Tre’Jon Lewis.
How big of a change?
He committed to the staff of former EIU head coach Adam Cushing. Until, that is, Cushing departed for an FBS job a short time later and Chris Wilkerson took over the Panthers.
“He came with the idea that he was going to play for one coach, and all of a sudden, there was a change very quickly,” Wilkerson said. “He’s been awesome from the very first time that I met him. (He’s) upbeat, authentic, genuine, caring and a heck of a football player.”
“Tre’Jon is one of the pillars of our program. He’s one of those guys that is a rock for us. He gives us a physical presence, can rush the passer, is twitchy, can move with some of the stunts (we run).”
Growing up in Manor, Texas, just 12 miles outside of Austin, Lewis learned growing up just how important high school football is in Texas communities.
He’s got tips on what to order at Whataburger (hint: get the Texas toast), loves to bowl, could eat a medium-rare ribeye steak every day and finds inspiration in fellow EIU defensive lineman Joel Barrows’ journey back from two ACL injuries.
Learn more about Tre’Jon Lewis below:
How did you end up at Eastern Illinois?
I was at Texas Tech for three years. When that coaching staff got fired, I entered the transfer portal and EIU was the first school to offer me. Based off the loyalty to the staff that offered me, I decided to come here.
As soon as I got off the plane in St. Louis, the head coach at the time (Adam Cushing) was on a Zoom call with everyone and I joined the call. He was saying how he was leaving (for the offensive line coaching position at Duke). I had to make a decision on if I was going to stay at EIU or try to go somewhere else. I talked to the athletic director, Tom Michael, and he was very supportive. It ended up working out.
How big of a family do you come from?
I have 12 brothers and sisters. We all get along. We all still stay in contact. We all lived with each other at one point.
Having a big family means a lot of different personalities. It’s gotten me comfortable being with guys in the locker room in football because I’ve always been around big groups.
(The girls) beat us with my little sister, who is 5. They beat us, 7-6. The oldest is 27.
What’s challenging, and rewarding, about being in a big family?
It’s challenging trying to balance all the different personalities. Some people take things one way, and some people are more lighthearted about it.
The good thing about a big family is you get used to juggling those personalities. Being out in the world, you’re able to work with groups. We all work with each other really well and we all get along with each other. That’s a really big positive.
What does your family do on EIU gamedays?
They all get together and either go to the game or watch it (online) and go on Instagram live so everyone who’s not there can see the game.
There’s a big (EIU) fan base, especially down in Texas.
How do you describe what Texas high school football is all about?
It’s like a religion. People would die for it. If your team is not doing well, you’ll hear about it. If your team is doing well, the stands will be super packed. If your team is not doing well, it will still be packed because everybody just loves watching the game of football in Texas.
What food do you miss from home the most?
I miss going to Whataburger. We had a Whataburger not even 5 minutes from where I lived. After the game, all of the teammates would go there. Win, lose or draw, we would go to Whataburger and just sit down and talk about the game.
What’s your go-to order at Whataburger?
What you have to do is get a patty melt. But everything you get at Whataburger, you have to get Texas toast. Do not get regular bread.
I usually get a patty melt. I don’t like onions too much. Sometimes they overdo it with the onions, so I take those off. Then I get fries, a strawberry shake and some sweet tea.
Your hometown of Manor, Texas, is 12 miles outside of Austin. Does the city live up to its “Keep Austin Weird” slogan?
Yes, Austin is definitely as weird as it claims to be. I’ve been to Austin plenty of times. They embrace weirdness, and I like the fact that nobody really judges anybody for it.
Who is the most famous person from Manor?
It would probably be Ochaun Mathis. I played with him in high school. He’s currently playing (linebacker) for the Los Angeles Rams. I was (Class of) 2019, and he graduated in 2018. Princely Umanmielen is playing (edge rusher) at the University of Florida right now. He was Class of 2020.
What are the most entertaining things to do in Manor?
Going to football games is definitely one thing. One particular football game is Manor High School vs. the LBJ Jaguars (from Austin). That’s a very big rivalry. Even though I played in those games, I’ve always wanted to go back and go to one. The whole community comes out.
People who haven’t gone to high school in years and people who don’t even have relatives on the team just come out. It happens usually in the beginning of the season. Manor won this year. I’m actually 0-3 against LBJ, but my little brother plays for the team now and he got the win.
What hobbies do you have?
I’m a pretty decent bowler. I have no spin on the ball. I’m a straight bowler. Some people find that weird. My high score is 175.
When I lived in New Jersey, my grandmother was a professional bowler. She used to take us bowling all the time, and we saw how seriously she took it. Me and my siblings are very competitive and we would always try to beat her. We never beat her. (Laughs)
She would get into tournaments in New Jersey, which is where I was born.
When did your family relocate to Texas?
We moved to Texas when I was in seventh grade. My moving life was pretty crazy. My dad is a retired military veteran. He was stationed in Kansas for a short time and he was injured there. My parents are travelers. They can’t stay in one place. They currently live in South Carolina.
Three of my brothers are in Texas, and the rest of us are all kind of scattered.
What’s your dream career after playing college football?
I would like to get into coaching. I’ve been around the game of football my whole life. I have a bunch of younger siblings who played football, and I’ve been coaching them since I can remember.
Helping people be better versions of themselves is a passion of mine. It’s something I love to do. I’d love to get into the coaching lifestyle and do things our coaches do for us.
Would you like to coach in high school or college?
That’s what I’m still trying to figure out. Both have their pros and cons. I just want to be in a place where I can make the best impact on people’s lives.
If you played another college sport, what would it be?
If I 100% took it seriously, I would probably be playing basketball. My dad was a great basketball player, but for some reason I don’t like the game too much.
I’m not good at basketball, but I’m not terrible. I ran track in high school. In middle school, I played basketball and I had a 25-point game in our semifinal in the playoffs. That was the one time I played basketball, in eighth grade right when I moved to Texas.
What advice would you have for players who want to move from the FBS level to FCS?
The work is still the same. Football is still the same. It doesn’t matter where you are. Dudes are dudes. I thought coming here it wouldn’t be as difficult. But we’ve got some dogs. Going against them every day, there was barely a difference going against guys at Tech every day.
Everybody has their own reason why they’re in FCS. Maybe they’re too short, a little too slow. They just have bigger bodies up on the FBS level. Even when you get down (to FCS), you still have to work hard because it’s easy to be outworked.
What meal could you eat every day?
Mine would be a nice ribeye from Texas Roadhouse with some shrimp, loaded mashed potatoes and baked mac and cheese. I am a medium rare (steak) guy. I used to be a well done guy, and then I grew up. (Laughs)
Which EIU teammate inspires you the most?
There’s one guy I see come in here and work every day. He came back from two ACL injuries and he’s still out there doing everything he can for this. That’s (defensive lineman) Joel Barrows.
I’ve never really had any big injuries. When I look at him, I see the scars on his knees. We joke about it all the time. The scars and the fact that he’s limited at times, he still does everything. I say to myself, ‘I really have no excuse to not do this drill and not work as hard.’ Looking at him going out there and putting in work and he basically has no ACLs, it’s really inspiring.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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