"Marquavius Lewis looks like the kind of guy who could knock the quarterback down twice getting off the bus.
"Uh big guy," linebacker Skai Moore said when asked his first impressions of Lewis.
"I feel good having him in front of me, big body, very athletic," Moore added. "I'm excited to see what he can do."
Lewis, a Greenwood native who spent the past two seasons at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 270 pounds. His teammates from Greenwood High would hardly recognize him. He played his final season with the Eagles at 215 pounds.
"I worked at Burger King my senior year, so I kind of stuffed it on," he said to explain the transformation.
Lewis has grown big enough to fit into the biggest hole the Gamecocks have - defensive end. South Carolina finished No. 119 in the nation last season with 14 sacks. Lewis believes he can get "double digits" by himself next year, and his new teammates and coaches sound like they agree.
"He's a monster. He's a beast," linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams said. "You can tell he's going to take a lot of pressure off the linebackers by causing double teams and everything. He's a great player. He fits in perfect. As soon as he came here, you could tell he was a great teammate."
Lewis, a four-star prospect who was considered one of the nation's top junior college prospects at any position last year, chose the Gamecocks over Alabama, Auburn, Miami and others because of the team's void at defensive end, he said. He had 61 tackles and 7.5 sacks last season at Hutchinson.
"I was pretty much open to anybody, but it just made the most sense to come where I was the most needed," he said.
He already has been placed atop the depth chart at one of the defensive end positions.
"We have to put somebody out there first, and we didn't have guys we thought solidified the position last year so we will give everybody a chance," co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said.
Nobody is expected to take the job from Lewis, though.
"You really like his physical ability," co-defensive coordinator Jon Hoke said. "He's very quiet. He just kind of goes to work and works very well. Those are all things you like to see in a guy."
South Carolina's strength staff has told Lewis they would like him to play at 265 pounds (and at 10 percent body fat as compared to his current 15), but he's comfortable at either weight, he said.
"If I can move with it, I'm fine," he said.
For now, he is adjusting to the more complex schemes and better talent pool in major college football, he said.
"It's been very comfortable," he said. "I know what I have to do. That's on the back of my mind every time I come out to practice, in the weight room, wherever."
"Uh big guy," linebacker Skai Moore said when asked his first impressions of Lewis.
"I feel good having him in front of me, big body, very athletic," Moore added. "I'm excited to see what he can do."
Lewis, a Greenwood native who spent the past two seasons at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 270 pounds. His teammates from Greenwood High would hardly recognize him. He played his final season with the Eagles at 215 pounds.
"I worked at Burger King my senior year, so I kind of stuffed it on," he said to explain the transformation.
Lewis has grown big enough to fit into the biggest hole the Gamecocks have - defensive end. South Carolina finished No. 119 in the nation last season with 14 sacks. Lewis believes he can get "double digits" by himself next year, and his new teammates and coaches sound like they agree.
"He's a monster. He's a beast," linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams said. "You can tell he's going to take a lot of pressure off the linebackers by causing double teams and everything. He's a great player. He fits in perfect. As soon as he came here, you could tell he was a great teammate."
Lewis, a four-star prospect who was considered one of the nation's top junior college prospects at any position last year, chose the Gamecocks over Alabama, Auburn, Miami and others because of the team's void at defensive end, he said. He had 61 tackles and 7.5 sacks last season at Hutchinson.
"I was pretty much open to anybody, but it just made the most sense to come where I was the most needed," he said.
He already has been placed atop the depth chart at one of the defensive end positions.
"We have to put somebody out there first, and we didn't have guys we thought solidified the position last year so we will give everybody a chance," co-defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said.
Nobody is expected to take the job from Lewis, though.
"You really like his physical ability," co-defensive coordinator Jon Hoke said. "He's very quiet. He just kind of goes to work and works very well. Those are all things you like to see in a guy."
South Carolina's strength staff has told Lewis they would like him to play at 265 pounds (and at 10 percent body fat as compared to his current 15), but he's comfortable at either weight, he said.
"If I can move with it, I'm fine," he said.
For now, he is adjusting to the more complex schemes and better talent pool in major college football, he said.
"It's been very comfortable," he said. "I know what I have to do. That's on the back of my mind every time I come out to practice, in the weight room, wherever."
