Lewis status for season uncertain

Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said Tuesday at Pac-12 Media Day in Los Angeles that running back Deantre Lewis likely will not be ready to practice with the team when it begins camp next week and could be a redshirt candidate.

Lewis, a 5-foot-10, 189 pound sophomore who finished second on the team with 539 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season, was shot in February. His physical injury was more serious than many initially believed, Erickson said.

"(He's) questionable right now,'' Erickson said. "We probably won't know for a couple weeks. He's getting a lot better. I just don't know. It's really up in the air whether he'll play at all, whether he'll redshirt. He might not play for three or four games. It just depends on how [his hamstring] is healing. Will he be able to practice next Monday or Tuesday? Probably not. We'll see where he's at as time goes on. Obviously, he's a huge part of our offense.

"I'm worried that he doesn't come back too soon. I mean, here's a young man that gets shot, so he's going through an emotional thing. And the hamstring was worse than people thought originally. I just want to make sure he's right, whether he plays this year or not."

In addition to his impact in the rushing game, Lewis was ASU's most dangerous receiving threat out of the backfield last season with 23 receptions for 370 yards and two touchdowns.

If he's unable to play, Lewis' role will be primarily absorbed by sophomore Kyle Middlebrooks, who was the primary backup to starting junior running back Cameron Marshall during spring football.