UH grad Lewis will be on opposing sideline in Hawaii Bowl

He overcame Hurricane Katrina’s floods. He conquered a sports hernia that required surgery and an intensive rehabilitation. But football player Daniel Lewis’ most difficult challenge was saying goodbye.

“It was so hard to leave,” said Lewis, who earned a University of Hawaii degree in May and then joined Louisiana Tech as a graduate transfer.

Lewis, who was born and reared in Louisiana, was a UH captain and starting safety in 2017. But after that season, he realized, “I had to go home. I had stuff medically with my family back home. I felt I needed to go home to be closer to them so I could better help them out.”

Lewis’ decision came at a time when several teammates were preparing to transfer. Unlike some, Lewis acknowledged his move was agonizing. Lewis said he spoke to teammates, particularly the defensive secondary collectively known as “DBG,” and explained his reasons.

“They were like, ‘We understand. It’s family first,’ ” Lewis recalled. “That being said, it was so hard. I felt I was leaving my brothers out to dry. I felt like I was leaving them behind. … I’ll always be a Warrior. I’m a Warrior for life. I’m a Bulldog now, but also a Warrior for life. I got my degree from UH. I have so many good memories of Hawaii.”

The LaTech players and coaches quickly embraced Lewis. He started four of the first five games before yielding to an injury. His status is questionable for Saturday’s SoFi Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium.

Before the injury, his mother and grandmother attended every LaTech game.

“They weren’t able to come out and see me play as much when I was in Hawaii,” Lewis said. “When I was playing earlier this season, my mom and grandmother were always there. It was crazy. My grandmother drove all the way to South Alabama for our first game. I was shocked. That really warmed my heart. That was a big reason I wanted to come home, so they could see me play. It made the decision a lot easier.”

Lewis said he kept in touch with his former teammates through the DBG chat thread. Despite the four-hour time difference between Honolulu and Ruston, La., Lewis kept track of the Warriors this season. “I stayed up, refreshing the scores,” Lewis said.

Lewis said he frequently texts UH quarterback Cole McDonald.

“From the first game, I was like, ‘Prove those guys wrong,’ ” Lewis said. “I knew there was a lot of doubt concerning (McDonald) going into the season. I knew what he had. A lot of guys didn’t know, but I knew. He’s a worker. He’s a great athlete. He doesn’t let things get to him. I like that about him. He’s a competitor.”

It was during the fifth week of the season, when the initial bowl projections were released. Lewis noticed UH and LaTech were expected to be paired in the Hawaii Bowl.

“I was like, man, that’s crazy if that actually came through,” Lewis said. “The coaches were telling us all the scenarios that had to go through. We needed to win this game and we needed another team to lose and Hawaii had to do this. Some of that stuff wasn’t happening. I was like, damn, I had my heart set on it. And then it turned out we were going to Hawaii. We just got out of a meeting, and the guys from Hawaii were trying to hit me up, Face Time-ing me. They said, ‘We’ll see you again.’ ”