The Scarlet Knights let out a sigh of relief on Monday when Aaron Lewis told ESPN that he will be returning to Rutgers next season. The 2024 campaign will mark his fifth season as a Scarlet Knight.
Over the last four years, Lewis has become a reliable piece on defense. During the 2023 campaign, Lewis appeared in a career-high 12 games and added 48 total tackles to his resume. It marked the second time in his college career that he recorded more than 40 tackles.
Additionally, Lewis has made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. He recorded three sacks, which is a new career high. Due to his play, he was hard to keep out of the lineup.
Few defensive prospects in this year’s draft class play as hard as Rutgers DE Aaron Lewis.@RFootball high motor 5-tech has already doubled his sack production from a year ago (1.5 to 3.0) and his 17.9% pass rush win rate per @PFF is impressive.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/9fHDXzeiR6
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 14, 2023
With Lewis back in the mix, Rutgers defense next year has already gotten a boost. In 2022, the Williamstown High School product was third-team all-Big Ten and received an honorable mention last year.
[lawrence-related id=32652,32644]
As Lewis took his game to another level, Rutgers defense continued to build on its success from the 2022 campaign. They have been a turnover machine and applied pressure on a consistent basis. That should continue next year with Lewis in the lineup.
While the 2024 roster is far from set, there is at least one player head coach Greg Schiano won’t have to worry about replacing.