Auburn ‘set the bar high’ for another cross-country TE visitor

Edwards and his family spent Monday, Tuesday and part of Wednesday on campus.

Veteran transfer stands out as Auburn’s ‘most polished’ receiver this spring

‘I can ask Rob anything, and he’ll have an answer for me as quick as coach (Marcus) Davis would.’

Robert Lewis is getting his shot in the SEC after he came close a few years ago.

Out of Newton High School in the Atlanta suburbs, Lewis was a late bloomer, picking up his first Power Five offer after his junior season. Tennessee reached out, but they wanted Lewis to play defensive back. Kentucky dished out an offer during Lewis’ senior season to play receiver, but when Lewis tried to commit, they told him he was too far down their board.

So after a highly productive tenure at Georgia State, Lewis — now one of the most experienced wideouts at Auburn — believes he’s garnered the experience and tools to succeed at the highest level.

“Knowing they needed receivers, I think I’m able to be that type of guy to help the room and help the team,” Lewis said of choosing the Tigers as his transfer destination this offseason.

Lewis has seamlessly inserted himself into Auburn’s offensive blueprint this spring, praised by teammates and coaches as a leader and a consistent player on the practice field. It’s an Auburn receiving corps that certainly took its lumps last season, and Lewis is establishing himself as the veteran complement to the Tigers’ influx of young talent — like Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson.

“I think he’s our most polished receiver,” Cal transfer Sam Jackson V said of Lewis. “He’s a senior, fourth or fifth year, and he just has a lot of knowledge about the game. His passion shows with how much of a leader he is … I can ask Rob anything, and he’ll have an answer for me as quick as coach (Marcus) Davis would.”

Lewis was Auburn’s first transfer pickup for the 2024 cycle back in early December. He trusted Hugh Freeze during an uncertain few weeks for the Tigers’ offensive coordinator role, then was thrilled when they hired Ole Miss receivers coach Derrick Nix in January.

“(Nix) is receiver-friendly,” Lewis said. “That was perfect for what I wanted to accomplish.”

A fifth-year senior, Lewis brings more than 1,300 career receiving yards and 14 touchdowns to the Plains. At 5-foot-10 and 178 pounds, Lewis was one of the most explosive pass-catchers in the Group of Five in 2022, averaging 17.2 yards per catch with six touchdowns. He then took another step forward last season, leading Georgia State in receptions (70), yards (877) and touchdowns (seven).

Auburn brought back only 60 receptions from last year’s receiving corps.

“I’m definitely glad we got him,” Davis said of Lewis. “… You tell him something once, then he’ll be coaching somebody else on how to do it.”

Lewis, who said he’s mostly been playing in the slot this spring, said he’s comfortable as a leader on a brand-new team, but doesn’t want to overstep his boundaries. He’s got a lot to prove as a veteran coming from the Group of Five level, but he hopes his play speaks for itself in a room that has plenty of question marks after a rocky 2023 season.

“I’m not trying to force anything on anybody,” Lewis said. “… I want to show how good I am on the field with my work ethic. … The sky is the limit for everybody in that room as long as we work hard and work together.”