It was the best September of Sean Lewis’ career. In the month that hijacked the entire sport last season, Lewis stood as Deion Sanders’ silent partner. While Colorado and Coach Prime were must-see TV, Lewis was CU’s straight man.
Tall, rangy and unassuming, Lewis was the offensive coordinator for a unit that averaged more than 32 points per game across that month. It was Lewis who initially made Shedeur Sanders a star at the highest level. It was Lewis who was behind a school-record 510 yards passing in the opener against TCU. It was Lewis who helped cash the checks that Coach Prime could only write with his boasts.
Just don’t ask him about it now.
“I mean, it was everyone else,” said Lewis, deflecting the praise.
Deflection is a theme for San Diego State’s new coach — unless you want to actually talk about the Aztecs. That will have to wait. The story is how Lewis got to SDSU.
At 37 years old, he might as well have been the best assistant coach you never noticed last season. But in a matter of three months, Lewis was both the offensive puppet master behind Colorado’s turnaround, and eventually, a scapegoat for the season-ending slump. At least from Deion’s angle.
Lewis didn’t get enough credit for the start but got too much of the blame in the end. Sanders took away his play calling duties on Nov. 3, 2023, elevating offensive quality control analyst Pat Shurmur.
It’s fair to say there was outrage within the coaching profession. Lewis had developed into a bit of an offensive savant; he worked his way up as a grinder who sold office supplies out of college. A former 6-foot-7 tight end at Wisconsin, he was innovative while leading Kent State to its first-ever bowl win in 2019.
But Lewis and Colorado was a May-December romance, only this one lasted from September to November. Midseason assistant coach firings are always uncomfortable. You know the drill. Coach X gets all the blame for the poor performance on one side of the ball, typically after an embarrassing loss.
This one didn’t make much sense (nor was it a firing).
“I think the importance of being a young, dumb head coach and being able to make some mistakes at the beginning,” Lewis said of his career experience. “If you asked me, I probably prioritized the ball and thought you could probably scheme everyone to death. Obviously that’s important, but learning the CEO leadership approach, how important it is,…
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