After four highly successful seasons, Kevin Lewis enters his fifth year as the Tribe’s defensive line coach.
In addition to helping three former defensive linemen earn NFL opportunities, Lewis has produced all-conference selections during each of his four seasons at W&M.
Highlighting those who benefited from Lewis’ tutelage was All-American defensive end Mike Reilly. Honored as the 2014 Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year, Reilly was a Buchanan Award Watch List selection and signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns following a tremendous senior campaign in which he ranked 13th nationally in sacks per game.
Also garnering NFL opportunities were a pair of defensive tackles in Jasper Coleman and Tyler Clayor. Coleman, a 2014 Chuck Boone Leadership Award Nominee, signed a free agent contract with the Houston Texans following his senior season, while Claytor earned a tryout with the Chicago Bears after his first-team all-conference selection in 2016.
Defensive tackle Isaiah Stephens continued the legacy of excellence by earning all-conference honors during each of the last two seasons.
Lewis came to W&M after serving as the defensive line coach at Dartmouth during the previous two seasons. In 2013, he helped the Big Green establish itself as one of the country’s top defensive units as it ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense. During his first season at Dartmouth, the squad ranked 33rd nationally against the run, which represented an improvement from 104th the previous season.
Prior to his stint at Dartmouth, Lewis spent three seasons at the University of Richmond where he served as the defensive line assistant for two years before being promoted to the defensive line coach following the 2010 campaign. In addition to helping the Spiders post a 20-15 record, including an 11-2 mark in 2009 when UR reached the NCAA FCS Quarterfinals, he coached first-team All-American Martin Parker, who later went on to help the New York Giants win the Super Bowl.
A 2005 graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in history, Lewis was a three-year starter for the Hokies and helped the program win the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and appear in four bowl games. He went on to play professionally with the Hamburg Sea Devils in NFL Europe and was invited to training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A product of Varina High School in Richmond, Va., Lewis returned there to begin his coaching career with one of the top defensive line units in the state in August 2007. Several of his players went on to Division I and II careers, and he assisted with the players’ college recruiting process as well as strength and conditioning.
Lewis is also the founder of Blackstock & Lewis LLC, a local company in Richmond that performs position-specific football clinics for area youths. He is married to the former Miyah Jones.
Lewis is the Tribe’s primary recruiter in Metro Richmond, Southern Atlanta, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
