Colorado’s secondary wasn’t the same without sixth-year safety Isaiah Lewis.

Recruited in the Mike MacIntyre era, Lewis has experienced the many ups and downs of CU’s program these last half dozen years. He stepped into a starting role back in 2020, and since then has been a steady presence in the secondary.

One that was certainly missed this season as his ambitions to set new personal records and improve his NFL draft stock were cut short by a shoulder tear midway through the UCLA game in late September.

“It was similar pain to last season because I got my shoulder repaired after the Utah game [in 2021]," Lewis said. “It was upsetting because I kind of knew that my season might be taken away from me. I had the chance to try and play, but the tear was so significant that it was likely to keep dislocating if I didn't get the surgery.”

Surgery followed suit after the UCLA game causing Lewis’s senior campaign to reach an abrupt and unfortunate ending. Support from teammates, his parents and friends helped Lewis during his rehab, but he just wanted to be on the field.

“I really want to be there, but I had to kind of try and take care of myself,” he said.

Sophomore Jeremy Mack Jr., a JUCO transfer from East Mississippi Community College, and sophomore Tyrin Taylor stepped up at Lewis' free safety spot, while safety Trevor Woods did a lot of the heavy lifting for the position group overall during Lewis’ absence.

Woods leads the defense with 79 tackles, one tackle for loss, two forced fumbles and five pass breakups.

“Trevor got his name out there this season,” Lewis said. “He’ll only get better. He's definitely gonna be one of the guys that CU is gonna be counting on as a leader. J Mac also made great improvements toward the end of the season. He kind of made his mind up and made a decision that he wanted to make plays and he started doing that.”

Lewis, meanwhile, has made progress in rehab. He is no longer wearing a brace and is beginning to find a wider range of motion with his golf clubs.

“It was seven weeks today or yesterday post-op and I’ll say that my pitching iron shot is already looking good,” he said. “My swing is looking really fluid already so it’s a good sign.”

Even though Lewis couldn’t add very much to his senior resume, the numbers he put up in just four games (21 tackles and one interception) demonstrate his impact.

Lewis is still setting his sights on NFL, looking forward to his Pro Day workout once he is fully healed.

Lewis had the option to travel back home and be with his family for Thanksgiving to eat some of his dad’s specialty, candied yams, but he wanted to spend the week creating some final memories with his CU football family.

“This is the last week that I’ll be apart of, physically on, the team and I want to be there, full presence, supporting the guys that mean the world to me,” he said.