Jourdan Lewis

Early life

Lewis was raised in Detroit, Michigan, where he attended and played high school football at Cass Technical High School. As a junior, he tallied eight interceptions and 11 touchdowns. As a senior, he had 751 receiving yards, six touchdowns and 742 return yards with three touchdowns on special teams.

He and Lano Hill anchored the Cass Technical defensive backfield that won back-to-back (2011 and 2012) Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 championships for coach Thomas Wilcher.

College career

Lewis accepted a football scholarship from the University of Michigan. As a freshman he appeared in 13 games, registering 17 tackles and two passes defensed.

As a sophomore, he appeared in 12 games (seven starts), collecting 39 tackles, 28 solo tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six passes defensed. He was named a starter in the third game of the season.

As a junior, he started 13 games, posting 52 tackles (3.5 for loss), two interceptions and 20 passes defensed (ranked third in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)). He also averaged 25.2 yards on kickoff returns.

As a senior, he missed the first 3 games with injuries to his back, hamstring and quad. Through the first 10 games of the 2015 season, Lewis had 20 pass breakups, which set a new school record. He ranked second among all players in the NCAA Division I FBS with 21 passes defended. Lewis set a single-season school record with 21 pass breakups in 2015, surpassing the previous record of 18 held by Marlin Jackson (2002) and Leon Hall (2006). Following the 2015 season, Lewis was named to the All-Big Ten Conference defensive first-team, by both the media and coaches. He was also named a First-team All-American by USA Today, and Sports Illustrated, becoming the first Wolverine to earn the honor since Taylor Lewan in 2013, and the first Wolverine defensive back to earn the honor since Leon Hall in 2006.

During the 2016 season, Lewis was targeted 31 times, allowing 74 yards, with 14 total yards after catch and 0.36 yards per snap in coverage. Lewis has contributed 23 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions and 12 pass breakups this season. Following the 2016 season, Lewis was named the Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year, and was once again named to the All-Big Ten defensive first-team, by both the media and coaches. He was also named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Associated Press, Sporting News, and Sports Illustrated.

Personal life

On March 15, 2017, Ann Arbor Police responded to Lewis's apartment in Washtenaw County, Michigan, after his girlfriend had called 911 and told police that he had assaulted her. The woman claimed to authorities that Lewis had grabbed her by the neck and held her to the ground following an argument about bills. Lewis was not at the apartment upon the arrival of Ann Arbor Police, but had spoken with the police on the telephone and also met with officers a few miles from the apartment. According to the police report, when police arrived at the apartment they saw no visible injuries on the woman and it was reported she did not receive any medical attention for injuries. Although he was not arrested, Ann Arbor Police charged him with misdemeanor domestic violence and he was given notice to later appear in court. This altercation occurred while Lewis was going through the pre-draft process and many draft analysts speculated this incident would affect his draft stock.

On July 24, 2017, his trial began in Washtenaw County District Court after he was not able to reach a plea bargain with defense attorneys. The following day, the jury ultimately found not guilty of misdemeanor domestic violence.