racked up 97 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss,
two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
Graded as a fifth to seventh-rounder for the
2016 draft, Louis believed he had a chance
to be picked. He watched each day of the
proceedings on television, writing down the
names of every linebacker selected, but his
name was never called.
everal teams, including the
Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles,
and Arizona Cardinals, called
during the draft and told
Louis if he didn’t get selected,
they would be interested in
signing him as a free agent. He signed with
the Cardinals shortly after the draft and
made the final 53-man roster at the start
of the 2016 season.
But another setback tested his resolve. After
tearing a quad muscle in the first game of
the regular season, Louis was waived by
the Cardinals. In November, he was picked
up by the New Orleans Saints and added
to their practice squad, but was released a
month later. The Ravens signed him in
mid-December.
Alex and Cameron Lewis were immediately
struck by Lamar’s character and enthusiasm
for their project. “We could tell that
he genuinely believes in us,” Alex said.
“Anybody can come on board and say, ‘I
want to be with you guys,’ but we could
tell from talking to him that he really
believes in what we’re doing. We know he’s
a professional athlete, so he’s constantly
working on his craft, but he’s willing to set
aside time for us. That’s a huge thing for me.”
Lamar believes there is high demand for
more games like the one IMV is creating. “I
definitely would like to see college football
Photo by Zamani Feelings
Coach & Player Magazine • Summer 2017
19