Darrian Lewis Quick Hits: Making his Mountaineer Debut and Choosing to Transfer to WVU

The West Virginia Mountaineers (1-0) handled Robert Morris in the season opener 45-3.

West Virginia senior safety Darrian Lewis sat with the media on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's matchup against Ohio.

Playing his first game in defensive coordinator Zac Alley’s scheme

“First off, the experience was crazy. I have played in big time [environments], but the crowd was always against me being at Akron U. So, having the Mountaineer fans and stuff like that with me, made the first experience really, really enjoyable.

“The system in the scheme, I felt really comfortable with. Throughout the summer and fall camp, being with coach Alley and coach Franklin, and just my teammates building this close relationships and things like that, I think we got a really good scheme and we started to break it down really good.

“I thought the first game, a few errors of course, but they’re little things we can pick up fix."

Playing against Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro

“This quarterback, he’ll beat you with his arm and his legs. He’s a really good runner for sure, but once he starts to move, he can throw the ball really, really well. So, we got to be on our details and really sound.”

Choosing to transfer from Akron to West Virginia

"It was a really hard decision. I really wanted the best for Akron U. Before I even left High School, that was the dream for me. So, leaving was really hard. But when we finally made that decision, we just wanted to take this last year to really open our mind and try to reach our highest potential. If there was something I was missing just being at home with distractions and little things like that – just try to get away from it.

"There was a lot of reasons that I ended at West Virginia. My teammate Davonta, he talked to me before I got here. He just explained the coaches and things he really liked. I met Fred Perry before I even signed or anything like that. Really got a close relationship with those two guys. And then, when I met coach Alley and his genius mind. If you ever get to talk to coach Alley, he’s really a genius.

"Then, like the facilities of course and the lights and stuff like that’s nice. I really felt like it was somewhere I needed to be and it was a bonus it was only like two hours away from home."

Playing his first game in defensive coordinator Zac Alley’s scheme

Playing against Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro

Choosing to transfer from Akron to West Virginia

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI