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Former NFLer thinks Serigne Tounkara can be a top prospect at next level

Jarod Hamilton • PowerMizzou
Staff Writer
@jarodchamilton
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Ira Savage-Lewis has been around elite talent for a while, in fact, he was an elite talent in his playing days.

Savage-Lewis was a defensive lineman who recorded 99 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and a fumble recovery across three seasons at Baylor before spending three seasons with the Houston Texans (2018-2020).

He knows talent when he sees it and he’s seen it in Mizzou signee Seringe Tounkara.

“I’ve seen a lot of guys and I’ve played with a lot of guys 一 if he keeps going the route he’s going and I know he’s going to get great coaching at Mizzou 一 and then I’m able to keep training him when he comes back home he’s going to be a top prospect,” Savage-Lewis said.

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Savage-Lewis is a defensive line and development coach who trains Houston-area football players.

He saw Tounkara had committed to Mizzou and reached out to him a couple of months ago.

Since then, the pair has been working on hands, acceleration, pass rush, run technique and more.

Despite Tounkara picking up the sport three and a half years ago, Savage-Lewis said he doesn't notice the lack of experience.

“What I’m seeing now is his mechanics and stuff he does now he understands what he needs to do and he’s actually taking the steps to do it,” Savage-Lewis said. … “Some of the stuff that I’m seeing, some guys that I played in college with can’t do stuff like that and he’s able to do it with ease and he hasn’t even been developed yet. Which is kind of crazy.

“I think he’s a freakish athlete. He’s able to get into places where you couldn’t think. He did a drill today (April 7) where he has to try and get his knee to the ground and dip under a short bag and then he’s able to pop up with great acceleration and then he’ll do a swipe. Sometimes I’m trying to record and it’s hard to keep up with him. Then, he finishes the drill and he jumps over the entire pop-up just randomly. Guys don’t do stuff like that randomly.”

Tounkara, who currently stands at 6-3 and 238 pounds, wasn’t allowed by his parents to play football until he got into high school.

Once he got there, he made the junior varsity team his freshman year before becoming a starter on varsity the following year.

From there, Tounkara found out he loved the sport even more because it was something similar to another sport he got trained in growing up 一 mixed martial arts.

“The controlled violence in it,” Tounkara said when asked why he prefers football over other sports. “When I was a kid I also did mixed martial arts and had a black belt in that. So, I’ve always had a little bit of that controlled aggression and kind of used that toward the field as well.”

That controlled aggression was on full display during his senior season.

Tounkara racked up 36 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery en route to an all-county selection and an honorable mention for all-state as a defensive tackle.

His head coach at Clear Springs (Tex.), Andrew Renfroe, believes Tounkara’s position flexibility is something that most players at the high school level don’t have.

“I mean he’s so fast and physical, very rarely in our level do you come across a kid who can do as many things as he could,” Renfroe said. “He could’ve easily played linebacker. He played inside for us at defensive tackle.

"He played a three (technique) and a one (technique) and then he could play a five (technique) and come off the edge. Those things for our level you very rarely get the combination of that stuff.”

Last season, Luther Burden III, Mekhi Miller and Armand Membou were all true freshmen who found themselves in the Tigers' rotation and didn’t have to burn a redshirt as most freshmen do.

With Mizzou having lost three starting defensive ends to the NFL Draft and the transfer portal, there’s a possibility that Tounkara could crack the rotation.

“A lot of kids once they graduate you don’t see them around as much,” Renfroe said. “Once football is over you don’t see them around as much. … But he would come in the weight room and lift with us just because he wants to be around. He’s getting stronger and faster and I definitely can see him breaking into the rotation and having an impact his freshmen year.”

“He has tremendous upside and that’s pretty big,” Savage-Lewis said. “You want to have that going into college. I think if he comes in and hits the weights, he’d be able to play. … It might be a struggle because you’re a freshman. Now, you’ve got to learn more things and coverages, but as far as understanding how to play the game I don’t see any weaknesses there.”

Cracking the rotation in all likelihood won't be easy. Tounkara will be one of the least experienced players on the roster when he arrives in late May and he will have a number of things to improve on including getting his weight up.

But none of that seems to be blocking him from trying to achieve that goal and ones even loftier than that.

“My goal is to come in and win the spot,” Tounkara said. “Also, I have goals to be a freshman All-American. Even though that may seem like a skyscraper goal, I still feel like I have the opportunity to get that.”

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