‘It’s personal’: Darrian Lewis eyes Ohio matchup, discusses commitment to WVU
West Virginia football boundary safety Darrian Lewis spoke about his decision to commit to WVU and why this week’s matchup against Ohio University is personal in a press conference on Tuesday.
Transferring from the University of Akron, with a 27,991 official stadium capacity, Lewis said the 57,093 home crowd attendance against Robert Morris University was “enjoyable”.
“First off, the experience was crazy,” Lewis said. “I’ve played in big games, but the crowd was always against me, being at Akron. So having the Mountaineer fans with me made the first experience really enjoyable.”
A Native of Akron, Ohio, Lewis recalled the difficulty of leaving his hometown university.
“It was a really hard decision, I really want the best for Akron,” he said. “Before I left high school, that was the dream for me. Leaving was really hard, but when we finally made that decision, we opened our minds and tried to reach our highest potential.”
A driving factor in committing to WVU was through talks with fellow defensive backs Devonte Golden-Nelson and Fred Perry.
“Devonte talked to me before I got here, explaining the coaches and things that he really liked,” Lewis said. “I met Fred Perry before I signed. So I got a really close, good relationship with those two guys.”
Lewis explained how talks with defensive coordinator Zac Alley solidified his commitment, calling him a “genius.”
“I met Coach Alley and his genius mind,” he said. “If you really ever got to talk to Coach Alley, he’s really a genius. … when we were sitting down in the room, talking about how he sees me fitting in his defense. He was showing me players that he coached [like me], and the defense we’re going to run. I could almost see the vision that he had for me personally.”
Ahead of Saturday’s game against Ohio, Lewis meets a familiar foe. Akron plays in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the same conference as the Bobcats.
In the three seasons Lewis suited up, Akron went 0-3 against Ohio. He said this weekend is personal.
“I absolutely did not get a chance to beat them at all,” he said. “This is a game that I’m excited for. I can’t wait to get out there. It’s personal, so don’t worry about that part.”
Lewis has firsthand experience against Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro. As the starter last season, Navarro had no trouble with the Akron defense, passing for 204 yards and two touchdowns, adding 127 yards and a touchdown on the ground en route to a 30-10 win on Sep. 28, 2024.
Navarro is known for his ability to make plays with his legs. Lewis said the Mountaineer defense needs to pay attention to detail.
“[Navaroo] will beat you with his arm and his legs,” Lewis said. “He’s a really good runner for sure. Once he starts to move, he can really throw the ball, really well. So we have to be in our details and really sound.”
Reflecting on the RMU game, Lewis pointed out how alignment and position mistakes could prove costly moving ahead of Saturday’s contest.
“We look at it as all the details in it, like, were you aligned right? Whether you made the play or not, that stuff is gonna hurt you down the road if you weren’t in the right spot, lined up perfectly, correctly,” he said. “You can get away with it sometimes, but details are the biggest thing that we paid attention to out of that game.”
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