The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has added more options in the linebacker room with a commitment from UNLV transfer John Lewis.
Lewis, 6-foot-3, 240-pounds, only spent the spring with the Rebels after four seasons at Mississippi State.
The Mississippi native played a total of 365 snaps across 40 games during that time and recorded 44 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup with the Bulldogs.
Lewis initially entered the transfer portal in December when he committed to UNLV but elected to reenter the database April 21 which led him to his commitment to the Mountaineers.
Lewis has one season of eligibility remaining and becomes the second linebacker to commit to West Virginia since the spring transfer portal window opened after Southern Illinois transfer Ben Bogle.
WVSports.com breaks down the transfer commitment of Lewis and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
The data:
Lewis has made three starts over his career and appeared in 22 games on the defensive side during his four seasons with the Bulldogs at multiple spots. The experienced linebacker has filled in at all of the linebacker spots and even played slot corner showcasing his overall versatility.
Lewis saw the most snaps over his final two years where he played 134 snaps in 2024 and 212 in 2023. The Mountaineers are getting a linebacker that has played multiple roles
Fitting the program:
The Mountaineers currently have 13 linebackers spread across multiple positions on the roster but two of those are true freshmen and four more are bandits. Lewis is likely to play one of the two traditional spots which means he will mix in with a number of others to compete for playing time.
The coaching staff has been aggressive filling all of the needs in the transfer portal and adding an experienced linebacker that has played in the SEC will only help that room overall. Competition has been a keyword for the coaching staff since they arrived, and Lewis will add to that.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia hasn’t closed the door on any positions when it comes to filling roster needs although now it appears the focus could shift to edge rushing options at linebacker. Still, as we’ve learned since this coaching staff took over no position is off limits when it comes to more competition.
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