Though it’s been several months since he heard the news, Troy center Eli Russ admits he’s still in shock over Chris Lewis.
The Trojans’ star receiver was diagnosed with cancer at the end of 2023, and underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his left leg in the spring. He’ll sit out the 2024 season while continuing his treatment, and plans to serve as a student assistant coach.
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“It’s terrible,” Russ said Wednesday during Sun Belt Conference Media Days in New Orleans. “I mean, football is really important to everybody, but it’s not more important than somebody’s life. I pray for Chris and I hope he does really well, and I think his treatments are going good as far as I know. I can’t wait for him to get back, but he needs to get back when he thinks he can get back.”
Lewis was easily Troy’s top returning player for 2024, having led the Sun Belt Conference with 10 touchdowns receptions and topping all FBS receivers with at least 30 catches in yards per catch (22.9) last season. The Trojans, two-time defending Sun Belt champions, now bring back just three starters from last year’s team.
Filling Lewis’ shoes on the field will be difficult enough, but there’s also the emotional component. The junior from Pleasant Grove faces a long road ahead in his recovery, and head coach Gerad Parker said the Trojans will support him every step of the way.
“The first thing we’ve done is we’ve kept ourselves very close to the situation that Chris is in and understood that our No. 1 priority is to help Chris in a fight that he is in,” Parker said. “That first fight is for him to come out of this cancer-free and to have a young life available that he can still add a lot of value to our football team. But more than anything, he’s one of those guys that had a lot of value to our country and world.
“So our focus is to make sure that Chris has our support and love and we’ve done that from afar. We can’t wait to get him back with us so we can have him around us. He’ll give us just as much value as, hopefully, we provide him and him healing and continuing to fight as we get back around and let him become a student assistant coach.”
In announcing via social media on July 16 that he would miss the season, Lewis wrote in part “there is nothing more that I want than to be back in The Vet this fall, wearing Cardinal and White and playing side-by-side with my brothers.” He has started a GoFundMe page to help raise money for his treatment.
Linebacker Jordan Stringer said Lewis’ absence was obvious during spring practice. He said he can’t wait to have Lewis back around the team full-time, even in a non-playing capacity.
“It was a big blow just because we know what he brings to the table offensive-wise, but just having him around the facility,” Stringer said. “I feel like that’s the biggest hurt, not having him in the locker room right now because he’s a very people-oriented guy. I’m on the defensive side of the ball, but we would always go at it practice. I used to look forward to coming in there getting ready to talk some trash to him. It’s not fun not having your brother there with you, grinding with you.”
Troy returns only two starters on offense, Russ at center and Daniel King at right guard. In addition to Lewis, they must also replace three-year starting quarterback Gunnar Watson, all-time leading rusher Kimani Vidal (the 2023 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year), three offensive linemen and top receiver Jabre Barber, who transferred to Texas A&M.
Junior Devonte Ross (40 receptions, 428 yards, three touchdowns) is back this season, as is top tight end Ethan Conner (16 catches, 4 TDs). Junior-college transfer Zeriah Beason (who began his career at Oregon State), Cal transfer Mojo Dortch and program veterans Peyton Higgins and Landon Parker will also be in the mix for passing-game targets in 2024.
“Any time you lose a great player anywhere, there’s a void to fill,” Parker said. “Certainly, we will miss him and all that he has done in production and what he was as a playmaker and an explosive pass-catcher last year. And my point to the offense and other pass-catchers is we have to have guys ascend and earn jobs. We have an obligation to fill that void and there’s no better way to put respect and honor to a teammate that’s in a real fight (than) to go out and play the game the right way and become a playmaker yourself. So that is our messaging.”
Troy opens preseason practice on July 31. The Trojans begin the 2024 season at home Aug. 31 vs. Nevada.
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