West Virginia Climbers Football Program has added more ammunition to the defensive backcourt through a promise from versatile Akron transfer Darrian Lewis.
Lewis, 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, entered the transfer portal on April 22 and quickly made an official visit to Morgan Town, where he was able to approach the football program.
He followed a trip to Purdue University and Illinois, but chose the Climber Football Program.
Lewis spent a full four years in Akron, where he played 36 games and recorded 205 tackles, 17 pass defenses, 10.5 tackles and 2 losses.
Lewis has scored 74 tackles, seven passes and interceptions in 74 tackles over the past season, while in 2023 he has 75 tackles and has defended three passes. In his first year on the field, Lewis recorded 56 tackles, had seven passes to defend, and interceptions in sacks after the Redshirt season.
Lewis is Akron’s second transfer, dedicated to West Virginia joining cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson, who worked on climbers during the winter transfer portal window.
He also represents the second defense of the program since Appalachian cornerback Nick Taylor since the spring window opened.
Lewis has another season of qualification in his college career.
WVSPORTS.COM breaks Lewis' commitment and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineer Football Program.
data:
Lewis is an experienced defensive back who has 1,806 defense games in Akron. The Ohio native recorded more than 200 tackles and 17 passes and scored 10.5 tackles, losses and two draft picks.
Last season, Lewis took a total of 602 snapshots, of which 432 were in the slot corner. He can also experience in boxes and a wide range of receivers and have some limited snapshots in terms of freedom and security. Lewis also spent 375 snapshots in his 651 snapshots in the slot machine corner.
During that time, he allowed 1,090 yards on 120 passes.
West Virginia is looking to add experience in the defensive backcourt, and Lewis will surely check the box during his game on the court.
Suitable for this program:
West Virginia has added 10 transfer commitments in the defensive backcourt this off-season, and Lewis has brought just over a dozen since Rodriguez took over the program. The versatile defender is a player who can play many roles from nickel to safe to safe climbers, depending on where the program is when he arrives on campus.
Versatility is a key aspect here, as Lewis brings a good skill to the table and should be able to introduce what he has achieved at the college level and make an immediate impact.
Recruiting this position:
At this point, it might be smarter to remove this section, as West Virginia is very active on the board to fill the main needs of various positions, including defensive backs. The climbers have made two transfers with Lewis, but are associated with other targets with multiple locations to fill the back end of the Department of Defense.