PISCATAWAY - Whether or not Rutgers permanently moves sophomore quarterback Johnathan Lewis to tight end is a question for down the road. For now, the former St. Peter's Prep star, head coach Chris Ash, and offensive coordinator John McNulty are at least seeing if such a move is viable.

Lewis, a consensus three-star recruit and the top-rated Class of 2017 quarterback in New Jersey, lined up at tight end during the Scarlet Knights' 38-17 loss to Illinois. This, after Lewis was seen at practice two weeks ago working with both the quarterback and tight end units.

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Lewis is obviously new to the position, so he was given a limited package to work with. His first-quarter work appeared nondescript, but his fourth-quarter action included an intended pass from Art Sitkowski that was picked off. Lewis never turned around on the route.

So goes the experimentation process.

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"He did a great job in practice with that role and that opportunity," said Ash, who was without Jerome Washington, while Travis Vokolek played nearly 70 snaps in his first extended opportunity at tight end. "He wants to help our football team. I think, you know, if he wanted to do it and really embrace it, he has an opportunity to be an outstanding tight end down the road. There's a lot that goes into being a tight end.



"Tight end is not an easy position to play, especially in our style of offense when you talk about motions and shifts, and run game and pass game."

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If and when Lewis makes a more permanent move to tight end, it makes sense. His future at quarterback is murky at best, Sitkowski having entrenched himself already as the long-term starter as a true freshman. Lewis would enter spring practice as the likely No. 2, but how much appeal that has is debatable.

At 6-foot-3, 237 pounds, Lewis has the size, athleticism and willingness to take on contact necessary to be a tight end. Big picture at the position, Washington is gone after this season. Vokolek looked good with a big opportunity on against Illinois and already figured in as the future at the position. Ash also has spoken highly of freshman Daevon Robinson, a Shawnee graduate who has five catches in six games.

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McNulty offered one important factor on Monday. Lewis could still redshirt this season. New redshirt rules instituted this season say players can see action in up to four games without losing a year of eligibility. Lewis has played in only two, meaning the coaching staff can play him in two more without burning the year.

If everyone is on the same page, and a move to tight end is on the horizon, not using this year of eligibility amidst a lost season may be prudent.

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"He's a big, athletic football guy," McNulty said. "He understands football, he understands the concepts, all that stuff. I think he understands, too, that when you get in the game, it's a little different. It was a good introduction for him. We had some other things planned, but the way the game went, we didn't get to them.

"I don't want to speak for him, but I think that's something he's happy to be doing. The guy just wants to play. I think he can do it for sure. He's got really excellent hands, really good hips and change of direction in terms of being able to see the run-through zones and avoiding contact. Little things that some guys can struggle with. If you try to use him as a true blocker all the time, that's a lot of work, but I think there's a future for him there if that's where it goes."

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One easy comparison to be made here is D.C. Jefferson. During McNulty's first tenure at Rutgers over a decade ago, he helped recruit Jefferson to Rutgers as a three-star quarterback out of Winter Haven (Fla.) High School. As a redshirt sophomore in 2009, Jefferson moved to tight end.

Across four seasons, Jefferson caught 47 passes for 560 yards and two touchdowns. His 20 receptions as a redshirt senior in 2012 helped him earn invitations to the East-West Shrine Game, as well as the NFL Scouting Combine.

Jefferson was a seventh-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. He wound up spending time there, then with the Carolina Panthers in 2014.

"I think John is really, at this point, really a more powerful guy," McNulty said. "He's really done a ton in the weight room to change his whole body. He may be more suited now, at this age, to just go do that, kind of do what D.C. was asked to do. I think it took a couple of years for D.C., then he started to lift a little bit more, get a little bit bigger, a little bit different program.

"John is already in that type of mode, a couple of years before D.C. got to it, but they are similar guys. I actually think John may be better suited with some of his skill set to play that position."

Staff Writer Josh Newman: jnewman@app.com; @Joshua_Newman