Game day atmosphere a big selling point for Lewis
Austin Lewis out of Terre Haute North High School (Indiana) has committed to Western Michigan University making him the Broncos 6th verbal commitment in the 2013 class.
Lewis plays on both sides of the ball at Terre Haute North, playing both defensive back and wide receiver. During his junior season, he accumulated 6 total touchdowns on offense and had an astonishing 28.5 yards per reception. On defense, he was responsible for 68 tackles, 4 pass break-ups, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions.
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The 6-foot-4 204 pound Lewis said that he first learned about Western Michigan when Coach Esposito dropped in at a basketball practice of all things, with current teammate and soon to be conference rival, Calvin Blank (Ball State verbal commit).
"That's where I really got to know Coach Esposito," Lewis said. "He told me to come up to one of their Thursday night camps."
Lewis went on to accept Coach Esposito's offer and come up to Kalamazoo for a one-day camp several weeks ago in late-June. "I played really well," Lewis said.
The 2013 recruit ended up staying the night in town and went on a quick driving tour around campus with the coaches.
"We drove around Kalamazoo Friday morning, took a tour of the campus, and they showed me where my dorm rooms would be," Lewis said in reference to Ernest/Smith Burnham.
"We didn't have a lot of time because I had to meet with some of the other coaches. I talked to Coach Cubit and we went through the whole defense. I just thought it would be a pretty good fit for me."
Besides WMU's new defensive scheme, Lewis explained that his reasoning to verbally commit to the Broncos was that he was excited about Western Michigan's gameday atmosphere.
"The gameday atmosphere was a big selling point for me," explained Lewis. "It's the best gameday atmosphere in the MAC.
"I really liked the coaches, the stadium, the defensive scheme, the campus, the academics, and especially the business school since I would like to eventually major in business."
"This Monday, Coach Esposito called me when he got back from vacation," Lewis explained. "I called him back and he said that he had some good news for me; that they were going to offer to me a scholarship. I told Coach Esposito that Western Michigan was where I wanted to be."
Austin Lewis has earned Second Team Player of the Week honors, Rookie of the Year, All-Wabash Valley Honorable Mention, and Second Team All-Region. Lewis held offers from Indiana State, Western Illinois, and Western Michigan and had some light interest from Ball State. Some of Lewis' personal goals are to win the Sectional Championship and help the team however he can on both sides of the ball.
Lewis appears to have great potential at the linebacker position in the Broncos new defensive scheme. Especially if he is given a redshirt year to bulk up and gain another 10-20 pounds.