Freshman Lewis playing for starting job

At Blair Academy, in Blairstown, N.J., Dion Lewis’ former classmates are preparing for their May graduation. But in the South Side, Lewis is trying to become the Panthers’ starting tailback in the fall.

Lewis, who graduated from Blair in December, enrolled at Pitt for the spring semester. Arriving on campus before the rest of Dave Wannstedt’s 2009 recruiting class gave Lewis the opportunity to adjust to the college lifestyle easily and work with the team during spring camp.

After a couple weeks of practices, Lewis has made a big impression on the coaching staff and his teammates. At the moment, the true freshman appears to be the leading candidate to replace LeSean McCoy as Pitt’s feature back.

‘If we’re playing tomorrow, he’s in the mix for about 30 carries,’ said Wannstedt after the Panthers’ scrimmage on Saturday.

Wannstedt and running back coach David Walker noted that Lewis’ ability to gain an understanding of the offense has been one of his biggest assets.

‘Dion has come in here, and as strange as this sounds, he probably has as good a grasp of what we’re doing offensively as any of the backs, and [he] has done it in a very short amount of time,’ said Wannstedt.

Unlike some freshmen, Lewis hasn’t let more complex college schemes hamper his progress.

‘[Lewis] is a good learner,’ said Walker. ‘The playbook is not confusing him. Sometimes [with] young guys, the playbook hamstrings them and they play slow. Right now, he’s playing fast because he understands what he’s seeing and understands what he’s looking at.’

Besides an understanding of the Panther offense, Lewis also has the physical tools to make an impact. Listed at 5 feet 8 inches, the Albany, N.Y., native isn’t a dominating presence. However, his acceleration and elusiveness have made him a challenge for Pitt’s defense during camp.

‘He has the things that we’re looking for when we recruit running backs,’ said Walker. ‘He has balance, he has acceleration, [and] he has toughness.’

Lewis didn’t let the new environment and the upgrade in talent-level intimidate him. Confident in his abilities, he has tried to make his statement on the field.

‘I knew that it was going to be a tough road because you’ve got guys that are already here,’ said Lewis. ‘So they’re already going to be ahead of me when we first started. I just came out here and showed the coaches I was a hard worker and just keep working hard every day, [treating] every practice like it’s a game.’

While Walker expected Lewis to compete during spring practice, he didn’t know how well he was going to adjust to his new living situation.

‘Dion has done a nice job in terms of fitting in with the players,’ said Walker. ‘He’s done a nice job with school, and he’s done a nice job with our playbook. So, all things considered, he’s doing a very good job when, you think, last fall he was playing high school football.’

Going to school in New Jersey prepared Lewis for being away from home. His biggest social obstacle was bonding with his new teammates.

‘Just coming here and not really knowing anybody, that was the tough part,’ said Lewis. ‘But everybody welcomed me. It’s like a family here, so I felt really comfortable.’

With his feet firmly set on the ground, Lewis can now concentrate on earning playing time. Though Lewis has taken some repetitions with Pitt’s starting squad, he’s still aware of redshirt freshman Chris Burns’ and redshirt sophomore Shariff Harris’ desire to get on the field.

‘Everybody wants to look their best out here,’ said Lewis of the early competition. ‘It’s a friendly competition for the job, but when we’re on the field it’s all business. If you want to play you’ve got to work hard every day.’

For Walker, the competition is beneficial for the development of all three players. Considering how inexperienced the group is, the more competition generated in practice, the better.

‘We don’t have so-called starters in the offensive backfield,’ said Walker. ‘We’re trying to figure out what [everyone’s] role [is] going to be. So every day, guys have to come out here and compete to try to earn the trust of the coaches and the trust of their teammates.’

Despite his early success, Lewis knows that things could change at any point. That’s why he’s focused on keeping ‘a humble approach,’ and continuing to push himself.

Things can change very quickly. For instance, you could go from one of three incoming freshman running backs to the likely No. 1 tailback on the team in a matter of weeks. Or, you could leave a small private academy in New Jersey early to attend classes at Pitt.

Those are some pretty big changes, and so far for Lewis, change has been good.

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