UGA’s Lewis Cine could start at safety. He hopes to thrive for two special people
Nearly three months ago, Lewis Cine’s freshman season ended with reflection. The Georgia safety sat calmly inside his locker at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans after the Bulldogs clinched a Sugar Bowl victory. His eyes fixated on the scene as a few dreadlocks drooped over his face.
Cine (pronounced SEEN) emerged over a two-game stretch and became a viable piece of the Bulldogs’ defensive backfield. He earned a start to open the calendar year and finished with six tackles (and a blooper-worthy chest bump as head coach Kirby Smart fell over) in the bowl win over Baylor.
He fielded questions with the media maturely and cracked a few smiles. He shook reporters’ hands and showed gratitude for the chance to discuss the performance and share his story. It capped a few hours on cloud-nine that would be tough for Cine to forget. As he soaked in the moment, a thought rested on the Texas native’s mind.
His 3-year-old daughter, Bella — Cine’s biggest motivation.
“I do all of this for my daughter,” he said.
Cine didn’t prefer to divulge much on his young child, but the level of admiration for Bella quickly became evident. He spends time with his daughter as frequently as possible, but a full class load and football schedule create difficulty when the family resides in Boston with her caretakers. Bella made the trip to Athens for the Texas A&M game on Nov. 23 and is cared for by Cine’s grandmother and cousin.
After the celebratory Sugar Bowl night, a clean football slate began and Cine’s name rose toward the top of projected depth charts at strong safety. Georgia has a vacancy with the departure of three-year starter J.R. Reed, and Cine passed his early auditions to start at the position in 2020.
Cine played in all 14 games as a freshman, but he had a drastic evolution in playing time. He began as a seldom contributor, and his first-career interception came in the fourth quarter against Arkansas State without a name on the back of his red Bulldog jersey. The then-mystery man saw a significant uptick in playing time in the SEC championship loss to LSU. He led the team with six tackles.
“Lewis has done some good things,” Smart said in December. “He’s really played well when he’s gotten the opportunity. He’s one of our faster players.”
Cine followed up his standout showing with the aforementioned six tackles against Baylor. He credits his success to a strong-minded approach. Cine focuses on being calm, which he knows can be difficult for a first-year player, but it’s about controlling certain situations — classes and football — then allowing the rest to fall into place.
The result, at least through two chances to show it, proved to be beneficial for Georgia: leading one of the nation’s top defenses. Now, he’ll have to carry it into a new season with a few new faces around him.
“The torch is basically being passed to me,” Cine said. “This shows what’s in store for the future. It gives me a lot of experience and sheds a great light.”
The next time Cine suits up in a Bulldog uniform — whenever it may be as spring football practice was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak — he will have reasons to give maximum effort.
His mom, Beatrice Seide, will be on his mind. She resides in Chile and has never seen her son play at Georgia, but Cine loves the opportunity to give her a call to say he “balled out.”
And, of course, Cine’s desire is to start for his beloved Bella. He wants to lead Georgia’s defense inside Sanford Stadium, so his biggest motivation can be in the stands.
“She’ll get to be around football a bit more (this coming) year,” Cine said.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 7:45 AM.