From Dutchtown to Missouri: Josh Lewis Finds Familiarity in His College Choice

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

Dutchtown’s Josh Lewis had other interests outside of football that produced some generalizations within his own family.

“Some people thought I was a nerd,” Lewis says with a hearty laugh. “I did band and 4-H in middle school. My parents raised me to do good in school and had me in the books.”

The 6-foot-4 ½, 245-pound Lewis turned out okay. The 4.0 student has developed into quite a football player, becoming one of the best in District 5-5A a year ago. This performance earned him several Division I scholarship offers, leading to his commitment to Missouri in April.

“As good as Josh has been for us over the last two seasons, we feel like he’s still improving as a player and we expect him to have this best season yet,” Dutchtown head football coach Guy Mistretta said. “That said, he may not have eye-popping stats, but will be a difference maker in that we expect opponents to game plan around him.”

Lewis has shed his former portrayal as a ‘nerd’ to become a menacing presence on the football field who’s also a quick study in the classroom – just like his parents (Howard and Natasha) always wanted.

The two-year starter at defensive end will find himself with additional responsibility in 2024, one of three returning starters from one of the Baton Rouge area’s top defensive units of a year ago. He totaled 50 tackles with eight stops for loss, three sacks, and a caused fumble.

“Coming into my freshman and sophomore year, I would have never thought I’d be here,” Lewis said. “I had some uncles and aunts that thought I would be a nerd. I feel blessed to be here. When I grew into having a passion for football in high school, it didn’t really shock people, but I thought I was about to make something out of it.”

Lewis’ timetable from high school player to major college prospect transpired between the summer of his sophomore year and last year. 

“That’s kind of like when it clicked,” he said. “I was out there as a sophomore and don’t think I had a bad year. I knew where I was at, and then I started training a lot more, getting stronger and faster.”

“Last season the expectations were high,” he said. “I still don’t think I played how I wanted to that season, but I still had a great season. I thought I had a shot to do something and now I have something to prove my senior year.”

Dutchtown (11-2) enjoyed the school’s most productive season. The Griffins shared the District 5-5A title with Walker and advanced to the school’s first Division I state non-select semifinal, falling 31-28 in overtime to Zachary.

The momentum for Lewis was just starting to build. 

College recruiters, who had already taken notice of an agile, big-bodied player with an accomplished academic resume, further pursued Lewis whose recruiting process “blew up” this past spring. 

He earned a three-star rating from the major recruiting services with Rivals.com ranking him the nation’s No. 30 edge rusher and state’s No. 20 overall prospect.

Lewis narrowed down the scope of his recruiting process to include unofficial visits to Arkansas State, Houston, Ole Miss, Texas, and Tulane. 

When things got serious and it was time for official visits, Lewis brought his parents along to Houston, Tulane, and Missouri.

“I told the (college) coaches when I went there, I didn’t care about the facilities,” Lewis said. “I wanted to have relationships with coaches, how they run the programs. I have friends that play in college that have said not to commit to a coach. I wanted to see myself fitting in the program, how they ran their defense, whether it was brand new.”

Lewis’ trip to Missouri was May 29-April 2 where head coach Eli Drinkwitz, the SEC’s Coach of the Year in 2023, transformed the Tigers into a top 10 program with a No. 8 ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. 

Missouri finished 11-2 overall and 6-2 in the Southeastern Conference, culminating with a 14-3 victory over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

First-year defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, formerly of South Alabama, and defensive ends coach Brian Early were the lead recruiters for Lewis, providing a recruiting pitch that covered the growth of Missouri’s program to the specific role Lewis would play for the Tigers. 

After returning home from the visit, Lewis became the fourth member of Missouri’s Class of 2024 with his commitment on April 22.

“I always call (official) visits like when you’re in ‘Fantasy Land’,” said Lewis, who also credited Missouri staff members Brandon Lewis (defensive analyst) and Maurey Bland (Director of Recruiting Communications). “You come back from a visit and then look over everything. Emotions are high, everything is great. It’s all good when you’re there. You have to come back and look at the reality of things. 

“It came down to that’s really where I wanted to be,” Lewis said of Missouri. “At one point, I got tired of the recruiting process. It’s fun for a while. When you start to narrow it down, and know where you want to go, you’re tired of it. When I was there, I was ready to commit.”

Missouri ranked fourth defensively in the SEC (340.8 yards a game) last season, and envision Lewis playing a significant role at defensive end to keep the Tigers ranked among the league’s top defensive units.

“You never really know how your body will change in college,” Lewis said. “I’m getting bigger and putting weight on. If I get bigger, they can slide me down (to tackle). I like the way they play their defense because it’s flexible.”

“I think they’re a more developed team, but they’re rising up,” Lewis said. “I like going to a team that’s on the rise. If I’m a developing, rising player and by the time Missouri is top status (program), I want to go up with the program and develop.”