http://www.michigandaily.com/sports/lewan?page=0,0
By Liz Vukelich, Daily Sports Editor
Published September 12, 2013
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When Charlie Ragle first saw the block, he wasn’t quite sure what he had in store. The big offensive lineman was on his team now.
The best way Scottsdale Chaparral High School’s former head football coach knows how to describe the scene is by comparing it to the 2009 film, “The Blind Side.” In it, offensive lineman Michael Oher gets so aggressive during a high-school football game, that he blocks his opponent all the way down and off the field before pushing him backward over a fence after the play is over.
The only difference was that Ragle was living this scene in person, watching then-17-year-old Taylor Lewan block a defensive end about 50 yards down the field.
“It looked like the kid was wearing roller skates,” Ragle said.
The whistle blew, the play was over and the referee was adamant about putting a stop to any more aggressiveness from Lewan. He threw a flag for excessive blocking on Lewan’s part, but as Ragle recalls, it was for “basically being a bully.”
Ragle told the referee that was the dumbest call he had ever heard in his coaching career. But that was nothing compared to Lewan’s outrage; he just wouldn’t let it go, as Ragle recalls.
“How much are they paying you?” Lewan yelled to the referee as he nodded toward the opponent’s bench.
The referee threw down his flag again in frustration, and Ragle did his best to try and curb his emotional tackle.
“Get your ass back down the field,” Ragle yelled back at Lewan, in a last-ditch effort to avoid any more penalties.
It wasn’t funny at the time, but enough time has passed that Ragle can now tell the story with a laugh.
“That’s what makes (Lewan) great,” he said. “He’s emotional. He was a young kid then, but that’s what you want to see in your players.”
***
The funny thing is, Lewan never should have been blocking that kid in the first place — he had spent the past three years playing defensive end, only dabbling on the offensive line when necessary.
But it was a new school, a new start. By the time that game took place, Ragle had only known Lewan for a few months — Lewan transferred to Chaparral for his senior year from Cave Creek (Ariz.) Cactus Shadows High School, about 30 minutes away.
Ragle says he remembers Lewan’s first day at Chaparral like it was yesterday. The two of them sat down and had a chat in Ragle’s office before heading out to the field for practice. The coaches had set up several standard agility drills for Lewan before having him run a few 40-yard dashes.
“I looked at our offensive coordinator, and I just said, ‘This kid is going to be special,’ ” Ragle said. “To run and be as athletic as he was? Those kids don’t just grow on trees.”
Lewan’s switch to offensive lineman had as much to do with how he impressed Ragle with his athleticism during those intial drills as it did with Chaparral’s new offensive line coach Rod Humenuik. Humenuik had recently retired after 20 years as an offensive line coach in the NFL. Ragle is convinced that the timing of Humenuik’s arrival has everything to do with the switch.
“The amount of experience Taylor got in his first year as an offensive lineman from his old line coach was something that kids play their whole high school careers and some of their college careers and don’t get that kind of experience,” Ragle said.
Humenuik taught Lewan the fundamentals of the offensive line, but there was still something he needed to work on: his tenacity. Ragle wasn’t too concerned — the coach says the two share the same kind of hyper-aggressiveness. There were still the occasional flare-ups on the field, but at the end of the day, there was nothing overly worrisome.
“If you’re designing an offensive lineman, you know Taylor Lewan’s the model, from a physical standpoint, to a tenacity standpoint and aggressive, but when he steps off that field, (he’s a) very gregarious and fun-loving guy that you enjoy to be around,” Ragle said. “He came and he was eager to learn. He was hungry, and he didn’t come in with no pretentiousness or an attitude like he had all the answers.”
***
Ragle is now in his second year as the tight end and special teams coach for the University of Arizona, working under former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez. In fact, part of the reason for Ragle’s current position is the relationship he formed with Rodriguez when he was recruiting Lewan and former Michigan defensive end Craig Roh out of Chaparral in 2008.
Like any coach, he keeps in contact with all his former players. Lewan is no exception. With as much attention as Lewan has received under the Michigan limelight, it’s kind of hard for Ragle not to keep tabs on him. Ragle says the two usually speak before the beginning of the football season, and they even had a discussion as Lewan was deciding between staying at Michigan for his fifth year or leaving for the NFL Draft.
When Lewan announced his decision to stay at Michigan last January, he was very adamant that remaining a Wolverine was the best thing to do.
Ragle, of course, supported that choice but is pretty sure it could have gone either way.
“I think you can make a case in this profession for Taylor that either decision would have been the right decision,” he said. “Everyone knew he was a good player last year, but the bar has risen. (For) some people, the expectations are even higher for him this year just because of who he is.
“But with that being said, there isn’t a greater guy that I would want to meet that challenge than Taylor.”
***
In the past few seasons, Lewan has been increasingly responsible on the field. He’s a captain now, so he has to be more accountable.
But occasionally, he still draws a penalty.
And when he does, there are still glimpses of the smaller, 17-year-old Lewan visible within the 315-pound frame of the All American.
Home 
Fri Sep 13, 2013 2:55 am