Leo Lewis is known for his soft spoken personality, but on the field

he is as explosive as they come.

The Brookhaven, Mississippi Rivals100 linebacker has made a name for himself as

one of the hardest hitting linebackers in the country. He has established

himself as a defender to be feared and he has commanded respect of his teammates

and opponents.

"He's a physical tackler," Brookhaven head coach Tommy Clopton said. "If there's

going to be contact there's going to be physical contact. He's not going to just

grab you and throw you down or ride you down. It's going to be a wrap up and

drive. He plays the game the way it's supposed to be played and that's tough,

hard-nosed and physical."

Lewis' reputation has spread nationwide, and on Friday he was presented in front

of the Brookhaven community as an Under Armour All-American.

"It's an honor. I thank God for it every day," Lewis said. "To come in here and

play in this game and represent my school and my city and my family -- it's a

great honor."

Since his recruiting stock began to soar last November, Lewis has had his eyes

on reaching All-American status. He is grateful to achieve the honor, and he

admits he is most excited about one thing in particular.

"Just having fun with the other top athletes in the country and getting their

outlook on recruiting and all types of things," Lewis said. "That's what I'm

looking forward to the most."

The journey to becoming an Under Armour All-American has not been an easy one,

but over the course of his path he has grown and developed on and off the field.

As a player he burst on the scene after making a position switch from defensive

end to linebacker.

"He played defensive end for a couple of years and we moved him to linebacker,"

Clompton said. "It was definitely a great fit for him. He was very explosive. We

were much more of a pressure defense last year with the players we had and that

really fit his knack for finding the football.

"On the football field he kind of has a nose for knowing where the ball is going

to be before it's snapped. He does a great job of timing snap counts and ball

movement and those types of things. And his first steps on his blitz are

extremely explosive."

Lewis was not completely new to the position. He played linebacker in junior

high and when he transitioned back to the position he felt right at home.

"Going into my junior year in the summer I moved to linebacker and the

transition was great," Lewis said. "I got in there and learned my assignments

and I just flourished. I was playing weakside linebacker and I just flourished

at that position plus I had a great strongside linebacker who helped me a lot. I

ran around and made great plays and that's how I got where I am today."

The standout linebacker has also grown into a strong leader for Brookhaven. He

may not be the loudest member of the squad, but he has no problem getting his

message across.

"Leo's not a rah-rah guy. He's not going to be the loudest voice in the room

ever. That's just not his personality," Clopton said. "When he was younger he

was quiet and kind of kept to himself, but the thing you started to notice about

him as he got older was how hard he worked in the weight room. He really liked

pushing the iron around and that helped his muscles grow and the rest of him

began to catch up with it.

"As he's gotten older he has gotten better. A lot of times I think the best

leaders are those who lead by example and how you go about working says as much

about you as the words that come out of your mouth.

"Last year in his junior year we had hit kind of a rough spot and he stood up in

front of a whole room full of seniors and everyone else and challenged his

teammates, but he challenged them by challenging himself first. He knew he had

to change if our season was going to change and that everybody else was going to

have to do the same thing. From that point on I think it did. We won about seven

in a row and he's carried it over throughout this offseason.

"He picks and chooses whenever he speaks up but when he does because he picks

and chooses his teammates listen."

It did not take long for college coaches to take notice with offers pouring in

from across the country, and in September he gave his commitment to the

Ole Miss Rebels.

"I love the program," Lewis said. "They were the first collegiate team to offer

me and they've recruited me hard throughout the process. When I was committed to

Alabama they always recruited me hard. Coach (Hugh) Freeze was the

first head coach to come and visit me. Then they always keep in contact with my

mother and always ask about her and see how my family is doing which is great

and I love it."

He continues to keep an eye on Mississippi State, Alabama and

LSU, and he plans to take official visits following his senior football

season.

It is no secret why he is one of the southeast's most highly sought recruits.

His explosiveness jumps off the film and to Lewis it is the only way he knows to

play the game.

"I just love the game of football. I live for it," Lewis said. "It starts with

the little things. Just getting in my stance and getting my reads and I hate

false steps so I get in my stance and make sure I have a good base where I can

get my good steps and that's where the explosion comes from. With the first step

I'm always getting there and that's where the explosion comes from."

It has been a long time coming, but Lewis and his explosiveness will make a

national debut on Jan. 2, 2015 at Tropicana Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida,

as he puts it all on display as an Under Armour All-American.

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