MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s football team conducted a two-hour, officiated practice session at Mountaineer Field on Saturday in workout No. 7 of the 15 Division I schools are allowed during the spring.
“I thought we had really good energy,” WVU coach Neal Brown said in his post-practice assessment. “We had officials here today, and anytime we can do that, in the stadium, it’s game-like.
“We went about 35 live reps with the ones (first string) and maybe 30 with the twos. The twos were a little bit limited in what they could do since we had those young quarterbacks out there, because Nicco (Marchiol) was sick.”
West Virginia’s head coach broke down various aspects of what he saw from Saturday’s practice.
“We’re making strides special teams-wise. I’m pleased with where we’re at on that side of the ball,” Brown stated.
“I thought our defensive line had their best day. I thought (junior defensive end) Sean Martin showed some flashes of what he can be, which is be a great run defender and a guy who can apply pressure in the pass game with both his speed and length getting push on the pocket. (Senior defensive tackle) DayDay Hawkins had a nice day. I thought our noses, Hammond Russell and Mike Lockhart, both showed today. We need those interior d-tackles, and they are both playing their way into shape. (Junior bandit linebacker Jared) Bartlett had a couple of pressures. He’s playing more efficient with his movement, controlling his body. (True freshmen linebackers) Josiah Trotter and James Heard both flashed today. They missed some plays too, played a little bit out of control at times, but we saw some flashes from them. (Safeties) Keyshawn Cobb and Aubrey Burks did some good things, and Marcis Floyd has made some improvement there.
“Offensively, (sophomore running back) C.J. Donaldson got some live work with four or five carries. If he continues to work on his body and stays healthy, he has big-time ability. He showed that today. He’s a load to tackle,” continued Brown. “(Junior quarterback) Garrett (Greene) got all the work with the ones since Nicco was out. He hit some nice runs, though he wasn’t as accurate passing today as he has been. He had been really, really accurate but wasn’t as accurate today. Also, our tight ends have had more catches. That’s been a point of emphasis for us. (Redshirt freshman) Will Dixon is a guy who is coming along, and Kole Taylor made a couple huge catches in Thursday’s practice, so I’m pleased with them. Receiver-wise Devin (Carter) has played well. We didn’t use him a ton today, but he’s played well. Preston Fox had a couple nice plays today as well.”
Spring football is a time for improving the individual pieces. Putting the entire puzzle together comes later, said WVU’s fifth-year head coach.
“In spring ball, much more than in fall camp, you can’t get caught up in looking at the whole unit,” explained Brown. “I learned a long time ago not to be emotional after a spring practice, either good or bad, because it’s about growth and getting better. It’s not always going to be clean football, because your timing may be off or you have guys who are injured or you may have lost something from the previous year that you haven’t had a chance to replace yet. I think (in the spring), you have to be careful not to look at the whole thing but instead look at the individuals and who is getting better.”
In trying to get the most out of individuals, Brown and his staff have gone back to the basics this spring, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“I think we’re doing a better job (in the defensive line) of staying in our gaps, and that comes down to pad level and using your hand,” noted Brown. “Linebacker-wise, we have way less wasted movement. We’re getting downhill and are more decisive. We’ve also taken a lot off our secondary, and they’re playing faster because they’re thinking less, and their technique is improving.
“Are we where we want to be yet? Absolutely not. I’m glad we have eight more practices left (in the spring) and then OTAs (organized team activities) in the summer, and I’m glad we have fall camp. But there is carryover. From a fundamental aspect, you drill it, and then you put it in a group setting, you drill it some more, and then that has to show up in team. I thought it showed up more today than when we did 11-on-11 work on Tuesday.”
Some notables were not involved in Saturday’s scrimmage.
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Nicco Marchiol is battling an illness and was not in attendance.
• Offensive linemen Zach Frazier and Doug Nester were limited to conditioning work on Saturday and were not involved in any contact portions of practice because of what Brown called relatively minor injuries.
Next Saturday the two linemen will be at an entirely different setting, as they’ll be near Argillite, Kentucky, for a wedding, where Nester will marry Bryn Osburn. Frazier will be a groomsman that day, as will fellow Mountaineers Graeson Malashevich and Wyatt Milum.
The wedding fits neatly into an open space in WVU’s spring practice schedule, as the team will hold workouts this coming Tuesday and Thursday. Then it will take a four-day break during Easter Weekend before getting back on the field on Tuesday, April 11 for the final two weeks of spring drills, which culminate on Saturday, April 22 at 1 p.m. with the Gold/Blue Spring Game.
• There were a couple hundred high school and youth football coaches at Mountaineer Field on Friday and Saturday participating in WVU’s annual coaching clinic.
• There were also a few dozen recruits and their families who toured the Mountaineers’ facilities and then watched Saturday’s scrimmage from the sidelines and/or stands.
• Also watching from the sidelines was WVU signee Rodney Gallagher, who made the 25-minute drive down from his home in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, to see his future team go through its scrimmage. Gallagher recently wrapped his senior basketball season at Laurel Highlands High School, having scored a school-record 2,034 points in his four-year Mustang career.
Gallagher will now put the hardwood aside and start to concentrate on his college football days, which will soon see him lining up at slot receiver for the Mountaineers.
“Rodney will have some opportunities,” said Brown of the highly-regarded 5-foot-11, 175-pound Gallagher, who is slated to enroll at WVU in May.
“There are some clear things of what you can and can’t do,” West Virginia’s coach explained of how much the Mountaineer staff can do with an incoming player who is not yet enrolled. “You can do Zoom meetings with them. Coach Mike (Joseph, WVU’s strength coach) is able to give them a workout program. Now that Rodney is out of basketball, he’s doing the program, and I think you’ll see him gain weight. We have plenty of time for him to learn what he’ll need to do.”
West Virginia’s 2023 season opener at Penn State on Saturday, Sept. 2 is five months away.
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown provides an update on the progress of some players in the first half of 2023 spring drills, and explains some of the analytics and measurements that are driving the focus on fundamental improvements.
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