MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Less than twelve months came off the calendar between Bilal Marshall’s departure and return to WVU. The former Mountaineer graduate assistant coach returned to Morgantown in January after a one-year stint as the receivers coach at VMI.
“Coach [Neal] Brown didn’t have to give me this opportunity. He did,” Marshall said. “That tells me that he trusts me. He knows what I bring to the table. Every morning when I wake up, I make sure I know I am here to make him right.”
Less than seven years from the end of his college playing days at Purdue, Marshall brings youthful exuberance to the coaching staff.
“If you watch me on that field, I am always on ‘Go’. I want to have fun. I make no mistake about that. Especially at wideout, that’s when we are at our best is when we are having fun and we are loose. If we are uptight, we don’t play well. That’s just a fact. My personality and my energy is going to bleed into what they do.”
Many of the receivers Marshall worked with in 2020 and 2021 have moved on. He was instrumental in recruiting second-year Mountaineers Jeremiah Aaron and Cortez Braham. Both players are expected to take on expanded roles in 2023.
“I recruited Jeremiah Aaron and Cortez Braham before I left. They knew exactly who I was before I came back.”
The newest addition to the receiver room is North Carolina State transfer Devin Carter. He has the most established Division I resume with 118 catches for 1,906 yards in 49 games.
“He knows what big-time football looks like. He is able to lead by example and also pull guys along.”
Incoming freshmen Traylon Ray and Rodney Gallagher have the potential to contribute to the program right away. Gallagher is one of the most high-profile recruits signed in Neal Brown’s tenure.
“He is a guy that is going to be twitchy and he has really good ball skills. He is going to know how to get open. At the end of the day, how fast can he pick up the playbook? That’s what is going to determine can he play or not. It is my job to make sure that he can.”
Marshall says that ultimately, the depth chart will be sorted out by the players themselves and not necessarily the coaches.
“If you give clear, defined lines, they’ll know why they are not getting the ball. They’ll know why they are not in the game or whatever that case may be. The most important thing is production. If you produce, you eat.”
Brown and other offensive coaches have not been shy about saying the team will lean on their strengths of a deep backfield and veteran offensive line. Marshall knows that his receivers must show the ability to keep opposing defenses honest.
“If we are very run-heavy and we can’t win outside, guess what — you are going to see eleven people in the box all day.”
(Bilal Marshall press conference)