The prep QB phenom and a million-dollar NIL question
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Pete ThamelESPN
High school freshman Julian Lewis has already made a Georgia state title game as a starting quarterback, has Ohio State, USC and Georgia among his 35 scholarship offers and has gone viral by wowing NFL stars with his skills.
The 15-year-old profiles as the precocious prodigy in nearly every way, even carrying the memorable nickname “JuJu.” Lewis has the same high school football coach as Trevor Lawrence and the same trainer who oversaw Lawrence and Justin Fields in their formative years in Georgia. None are holding back on what’s possible for Lewis.
“I’ve had the privilege of coaching Trevor Lawrence,” said Carrollton High School coach Joey King. “He’s in the same category as Trevor. The skill set and arm talent he has are definitely advanced for his age.”
Adds noted Atlanta-area trainer Ron Veal: “He’s right there with [Fields and Lawrence]. As far as ability-wise, he’s right on par with them.”
But after throwing 48 touchdown passes as a freshman and amassing 113,000 Instagram followers, Lewis is a new-age recruit with an age-old high school problem — he can’t make money off his popularity.
While more than half of the states in the country have legalized Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals in some form for high school athletes, the state of Georgia sits at a compelling crossroads. It is home to one of the richest recruiting bases in the country, the back-to-back national champions of college football and a generational prospect in Lewis, who could command well over a million dollars on the open market over the next three seasons.
Georgia is also the setting of perhaps the most notable high school cautionary tale in the NIL era, as a defensive lineman named T.A. Cunningham left the state to seek out NIL money in California last year and ended up ensnared in a thicket of broken promises and eligibility issues that required a court fight to get resolved.
That leaves Georgia as a fascinating test of figuring out a way to navigate amateurism’s new realities, in part to be sure to retain top talent. This all happens as Lewis’ father, T.C., watches his son’s games sold for local television and sponsors line up for award ceremonies honoring him.
“It’s all part of the football revenue-generating machine,” T.C. Lewis told ESPN. “The entire football machine is making money, not the players. It’s real.”
The reality for Lewis is he’ll be the face of the case for NIL in the state of Georgia. He said he doesn’t think about it much, but if NIL were made legal he’d find ways to procure deals that would also benefit his teammates. He said the conversations mostly happen with his dad, but occasionally with his friends.
He calls the lack of the ability to profit off his own NIL “definitely a little saddening,” and sums up the reality succinctly: “It’s not fair, to be honest.”
For now, the Lewis family looks unlikely to follow Cunningham’s path and flee Georgia for greener pastures. T.C. Lewis said his son’s long-term growth is the priority, which is why they have no plans to look out of state for a different high school. They aren’t naïve to the opportunities, but are happy to keep developing.
“As the season evolved and with the success that Julian had and where he and Coach King are and how he uses him, Julian and I have had extended discussions, and we’re willing to sacrifice short-term money for long-term development,” T.C. Lewis said. “At this point in time, we wouldn’t leave Georgia. We’re used to what we’re leaving on the table.”
Just how high that number would be is ambiguous, but it would only escalate if Lewis continues on his current trajectory. The top QB recruit in the Class of 2023, California native Malachi Nelson, was slated to sign close to a million dollars in NIL deals by the time he enrolled at USC. T.C. Lewis also mentions California prep basketball stars like Bronny James — who has been able to ink deals with Nike and Beats by Dre — and Mikey Williams, who signed a multiyear deal with Puma.
T.C. Lewis is a tech entrepreneur, so when Julian had the idea to start a company for slide sandals, they launched it when he was in seventh grade. They quickly shut it down, however, out of fear of risking eligibility. Lewis and his family are being followed around for a docuseries, including during his state-title-winning season. But they can’t profit off that, either. (Not even with payments deferred to after he’s done as an amateur.)
“At the end of the day, if your popularity comes from football, you can’t use that popularity to make money,” T.C. Lewis said. “There’s huge opportunities for Julian coming up. We have great relationships here locally and nationally. We’ve turned down so much already.”
Attorney Donald Woodard is advising the Lewis family, having become familiar with NIL through his work for USA Track and Field. He’d met T.C. Lewis years before in connection to one of Lewis’ business projects, and has been advising the family on what they can and can’t do in the NIL space for nearly two years.
Woodard sees the same arguments that for years were made at the NCAA level for athletes getting some type of compensation simply trickling down to the high-school level. He sees a similar “ecosystem” generating money in high school that existed in college.
T.C. Lewis estimates “on the low end,” his son could make $500,000 while in high school. He estimates the high-end at $1.5 million and pointed out they recently turned down a $60,000 opportunity.
“We’re hopeful that Georgia will come on board soon,” Woodard said. “Not just for Julian, but for all athletes in Georgia. The market will dictate which athletes are deserving.”
Georgia High School Association executive director Robin Hines declined comment on Lewis, saying they don’t discuss individual athletes. He did say the GHSA are in the process of researching what other states are doing and consulting with their own attorneys to find the best way forward for something in Georgia.
(Officials at the University of Georgia didn’t return calls seeking comment, but it stands to reason they’d want the best local high school talent staying in-state.)
While the GHSA is “way at the beginning” of the process, Hines said there’s a “possibility” a proposal could be moved forward in April. But first, they need to figure out an approach that makes sense, as he acknowledges there’s “only a small percentage of athletes” who would benefit.
He did say the prospect of losing top athletes like Cunningham to states with NIL isn’t looming over the decision-making.
“We certainly don’t want to be left behind, but we also want to do what’s in the best interest of our student athletes while maintaining our credibility as an amateur association,” Hines told ESPN in a phone interview. “That’s a tightrope to walk.”
Meanwhile, Julian Lewis will continue walking the tightrope of regular teenager and teenage star. After his Christmas money started to run out last month, he told his father that he wanted to get a job for spending cash. T.C. Lewis said he didn’t think that was a good idea.
His dad told him he doesn’t have time to hold a job and jokes he will pay him to train. T.C. Lewis does admit that the bills are real, from coaches to traveling the country for training and events.
In recent weeks, Lewis has gone to both USC and LSU. He has tripped to Alabama multiple times to see games because of its proximity to home. It’s too early to project any favorites, but T.C. Lewis said he has already raised his son to not be a fan of any team. He doesn’t want the emotion of fandom getting in the way of business.
“We keep the main thing the main thing,” he said. “NIL is going to play a huge part, but it’s not going to be the deciding factor. At the end of the day, if some school says we’re going to give you $5 million, if you can’t develop him or get him to where he wants to go, it doesn’t matter.”
The uptick in hype and attention hasn’t really fazed Julian Lewis. There are videos of him at age 9 with Justin Fields snapping him the balls for drills. Lewis didn’t know him as a top prospect, just a big-brother figure he trained with. That’s why the steps toward stardom — high school phenom, college prospect, eventual college starter and beyond — feel attainable for Lewis.
The Lewis’ are hopeful the GHSA passes some type of rule that will allow him to profit off his talents, but they haven’t done any direct lobbying. For now, Julian Lewis is seeking a typical teen experience, knowing that might be fleeting.
“Of course, I like being noticed and called out on certain things,” he said of his burgeoning fame. “But at some points, I want to walk around and be normal. We’re at the point where there’s no time to be normal. No one thinks of me as normal. I’m still 15. I want to be a kid. I want to go out and have fun and be chill.”
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — Aside from his ability to pitch and hit and stretch the boundaries of imagination, Shohei Ohtani has displayed another singular trait in his time in the major leagues: an ability to meet the moment. Or, perhaps, for the moment to meet him.
And so on Wednesday night, with his Los Angeles Dodgers looking to stay unbeaten, the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, and more than 50,000 fans standing and clenching the Ohtani bobbleheads they lined up hours in advance for, Ohtani approached the batter’s box — and his teammates expected greatness.
“He’s going to end this right here,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said he thought to himself.
“We knew,” starting pitcher Blake Snell said. “It’s just what he does.”
Validation came instantly. Ohtani stayed back on a first-pitch changeup from Raisel Iglesias near the outside corner and shot it toward straightaway center field, 399 feet away, for a walk-off home run, sending the Dodgers to a 6-5, come-from-behind victory over the reeling Atlanta Braves.
“I don’t think anybody didn’t expect him to hit a walk-off home run there,” Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman said. “It’s just a question of where he’d hit it.”
The Dodgers are now 8-0, topping the 1933 New York Yankees of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth for the longest winning streak to begin a season for a reigning champion. The Braves, meanwhile, are 0-7, the type of record no team has ever recovered from to make the playoffs. And Ohtani, with three home runs and a 1.126 OPS this season, just keeps meeting moments.
“He’s pretty good, huh?” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said. “It’s Shohei. He’s going to do that. He’s going to do things better than that.”
On Aug. 23 last year, Ohtani reached the 40/40 club with a walk-off grand slam. Five days later, the Dodgers staged a second giveaway of his bobblehead — one that saw his now-famous dog, Decoy, handle the ceremonial first pitch — and Ohtani led off with a home run. On Sept. 19, Ohtani clinched his first postseason berth and ascended into the unprecedented 50/50 club with one of the greatest single-game performances in baseball history — six hits, three homers, two steals and 10 RBIs. Barely two weeks later, he homered in his first playoff game.
When Ohtani came up on Wednesday, he had what he described as a simple approach.
“I was looking for a really good pitch to hit,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “If I didn’t get a good pitch to hit, I was willing to walk.”
Of course, though, he got a good pitch.
And, of course, he sent it out.
“You just feel that he’s going to do something special,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I just like the way he’s not pressing. He’s in the strike zone, and when he does that, there’s just no one better.”
The Dodgers began their much-anticipated season with a couple of breezy wins over the Chicago Cubs from Japan, even though Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman did not play in them. They returned home, brought iconic rapper Ice Cube out to present the World Series trophy on one afternoon, received their rings on another and swept a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. Then came the Braves, and the Dodgers swept them, too — even though Freeman, nursing an ankle injury caused from slipping in the shower, didn’t participate.
The Dodgers already have two walk-offs and six comeback wins this season.
Wednesday’s effort left Roberts “a little dumbfounded.”
A nightmarish start defensively, highlighted by two errant throws from Muncy, spoiled Snell’s start and put them behind 5-0 after the first inning and a half. But the Dodgers kept inching closer. They trailed by just two in the eighth and put runners on second and third with two out. Muncy came to bat with his batting average at just .083. He had used the ballyhooed “Torpedo” bat for his first three plate appearances, didn’t like how it altered his swing plane, grabbed his usual bat for a showdown against Iglesias and laced a game-tying double into the right-center-field gap.
An inning later, Ohtani ended it.
“Overall, not just tonight, there is a really good vibe within the team,” Ohtani said after recording his fourth career walk-off hit. “I just think that’s allowing us to come back in these games to win.”
The Dodgers’ 8-0 start has allowed them to stay just ahead of the 7-0 San Diego Padres and the 5-1 San Francisco Giants in the National League West. Tack on the Arizona Diamondbacks (4-2) and the Colorado Rockies (1-4), and this marks the first time in the divisional era that an entire division has combined for at least 25 wins and no more than seven losses, according to ESPN Research. The Dodgers’ and Padres’ starts mark just the fifth season in major league history with multiple teams starting 7-0 or better, and the first time since 2003.
The Dodgers famously overcame a 2-1 series deficit to vanquish the Padres in the NL Division Series last year, then rode that fight to their first full-season championship since 1988.
That fight hasn’t let up.
“It feels like this clubhouse is carrying a little bit of the attitude we had last year that we’re never out of a game and we’re resilient, and we’ve been carrying it into this season,” Muncy said. “It’s been fun to watch. The guys don’t give up. Bad things have happened, and no one’s really been down or out on themselves. Everyone’s just, ‘All right, here we go, next inning, let’s get after it.’ The whole team, top to bottom, has been doing that. It’s been making it really, really fun to play.”
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