Head football coach Tyler Lewis and the Terrebonne Tigers are looking to keep things rolling in 2023. With much success and many big names coming through the program over the last few years, Coach Lewis feels as if things are just getting started. First, Coach Lewis talks about how honored he was to have some of his players on the cover of the Gridiron Football magazine last month.
“I thought it was the coolest thing ever, and whenever it had gotten sent to me, I got goosebumps. I wish I could have gotten all my guys on there. You guys did a great job with it and I didn’t anticipate the article to come out that well. It really covered the transition of me becoming the head coach last year to where we are at right now so I was really excited about that. For our kids and the community, it was really big for us in our transition.”
Terrebonne Head Coach Tyler Lewis
Check out the July 2023 Magazine, featuring Terrebonne on the cover!!
Being a young head football coach, there are a lot of things that can favor Coach Lewis and the Terrebonne program. He explains the advantages he thinks he has being a younger coach.
“Most coaches should find a way to adjust or to be transparent with their kids. It gives me an advantage because I understand their personal lives, their hobbies, or their music. Sometimes I can be a little old school because I have been doing it for 13 years now total so just understanding who they are as individuals and what they’re like and trying to input it into our program bits and pieces at a time. Giving them rewards from the stuff that they like, I just think it gives me an advantage because they’ll play a little bit harder.”
Terrebonne Head Coach Tyler Lewis
Coach Lewis discusses the shift of focus for some of his highly sought after players, like recent LSU commit WR Kylan Billiot. He discusses how they cannot let the noise get to them and how they have to continue to stay ready for this upcoming season.
“With Kylan he did a great job of transitioning and buying in to what we needed out of him and it got him that LSU offer and allowed him to commit. That didn’t slow him down as far as his work ethic. He’s been to workouts everyday and been leading just that much more, but that is just part of the program and something that we anticipated would happen so it’s not a distraction and more of an expectation for us. We give everybody their flowers and let them know that the work still has to continue. I ask them all the time if they are ready for 17 weeks. We are going to have to depend on some younger guys because in order to make that run you have to have depth.”
Terrebonne Head Coach Tyler Lewis
Lewis then discusses the two players that made the trip to Media Day with him. Senior DE Ty’Drick Stewart and senior RB Jayce Johnson are the two Terrebonne Tigers who made the trip to Denham Springs, but Coach also talks about some other guys and their impact for this coming season:
“Well they are a very big part of the team. Without those two guys, we don’t flow. No matter what attention the other players get with their offers, they’re right around the corner. It’s not their time right this second but it’s coming. I just ask them to be patient and keep working. Hard work will never get unnoticed. To start with the offense, we don’t operate without Jayce. He has some of the best vision for a running back in all the years I have been coaching. He’s working on his speed which you can see in the offseason. Our running backs coach Kenny Owens is doing a great job, and then he’s teaching Alvin behind him and there is still some great backs behind him which is scary. Jayce has a big task at hand because he’s going to have to leave that legacy behind for all those guys.”
“Then you have Ty’Drick who was voted a team captain and wears number 0. He is the instrumental part in talent and those other young guys. He makes sure everyone is on task and brings that extra edge to the offensive line. He’s going to require a double team, but how are you going to double team him when you have to double team Talan as well so they will have to pick their poison in dealing with our defensive line. One of the biggest things we are anticipating about him is being physical this year. We know that he is an edge rusher and has sound technique, but we want to see him be a little more physical this year and bring a lot of pain to offensive lineman and quarterbacks.”
Terrebonne Head Coach Tyler Lewis
Coach Lewis has a history of success whether it was as a player or as a coach. He feels like he has what it takes to bring Terrebonne back to that level. He talks about how the community will play a large role in the success of this program.
“Well, I have rich history of being a state champion. I won a state championship as a player at West St. John and I won a state championship as a coach. We had a few runner-ups when I was in high school. We can’t do it without the community. They are a piece to the puzzle that is our football program. Our kids need that support and need to know that someone has their back because we are going to be hard on them. Nothing comes easy, but supporting this team is everything to us. Win, lose, or draw, we need everyone there. We need anything we can take. My door is always open at Terrebonne to anyone who wants to give back to these kids and this program. We do a lot to give back as well and do a lot of community service with this program. If anyone needs us and it fits in our schedule, then we are there. We support you guys and you support us and we can’t do it without them. The biggest thing about this team is that it’s very talented and has a lot of pieces, but without proper support, you can’t do it. It’s like trying to drive a Tesla without plugging it into the wall first. We need that juice and that extra motivation for our kids to keep digging deep every week.”
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