--West Virginia held their second practice of fall camp Thursday and things were pretty routine compared to previous practices under head coach Neal Brown with quarterbacks tossing to wide receivers and backs while other position groups worked with each other. The field goal kickers were attempting kicks and during the drills, Brown made it clear that the ball needed to be at the chest for the quarterbacks that were throwing it. No pads today but there were referees and a lot of work.
--Returning punts in the early stages were Preston Fox, Jeremiah Aaron, Rodney Gallagher.
--At the wide receiver spot, Devin Carter just stands out given how big he is physically as well as how he can run. He looked the part in the spring but somehow Noah Massey is even bigger than him and looks like a linebacker at the spot. He moved pretty well today as well and had a nice catch over the middle toward the end of practice. He's going to be an inside guy but he's at least a big body that can catch the football in traffic. He should be at worst an asset in blocking. A different type of body, but EJ Horton can really run. He caught the ball well today from what I saw, but looks so fluid. I have no idea how it's going to translate or even if it will but he certainly does match what has been said about him with his speed. There's a lot of question marks here and this group is going to have to prove it. Ja'Shaun Poke was working out full-speed today as well and he made some nice catches. Davis Mallinger was working at WR today too and had some drops but nothing that can't be corrected.
--Rodney Gallagher definitely isn't the biggest guy out there but I already knew that. One thing I really liked out of him today is when he did a drill and misstep he took himself back into line and repeated it without the instruction of the coaches and got it right. West Virginia has opportunities available at wide receiver but it's too early to say.
--I don't remember West Virginia having a tight end that just physically looks and moves like Kole Taylor. Again, a long way from that becoming production on the field but he is every bit of 6-foot-7 and could be a real weapon in the middle if he proves he's up to the challenge.
--One drill caught my attention where players where Bilal Marshall kept telling the players "hands home," as they prepared to catch it. He then asked them "where is home?" and they all answered "Where the heart is!" as they needed to get their hands up to catch the ball.
--DJ Oliver is massive at running back. I think the listed 250-pounds might be an underestimate there. Not sure how he's going to hold up through his first camp but he had a few nice plays today and it will be interesting to see how that translates once the pads are on and the hitting starts.
--Speaking of running backs, CJ Donaldson had a good run too that sparked interest from Chad Scott as he yelled, "there you go, get vertical!" Jaylen Anderson is now wearing No. 0.
--West Virginia continued to two-spot as Neal Brown said yesterday with the same drill operating on both ends of the field, in the take-off period the offensive line on one end was Wyatt Milum, Tomas Rimac, Zach Frazier, Ja'Quay Hubbard and Doug Nester while the other positions that worked were at WR: Devin Carter, Jeremiah Aaron and Preston Fox along with Kole Taylor. CJ Donaldson was the RB. I don't believe Cortez Braham wasn't full-go today with an illness. On the other end the offensive line was Nick Krahe, Cooper Young, Landen Livingston, Maurice Hamilton and Johnny Williams with Ja'Shaun Poke, Jarel Williams, EJ Horton and Treylan Davis working as the pass catchers and Jaheim White at RB. And then another group consisted of Nick Malone, Bryce Biggs, Brandon Yates, Sullivan Weidman and Charlie Katarancic on the line with Taran Fitzpatrick, Hudson Clement, Jaheim White and Will Dixon as the pass catchers. The running back was DJ Oliver.
--Thought the quarterbacks were solid today for the most part but they better be throwing on air for the most part. You can just tell that Greene has a lot of confidence out there and isn't afraid to be a leader speaking up to his teammates. Marchiol had a really good showing in a series toward the end and made some nice throws on the run. As for the pecking order, or anything, right now they are simply just rotating and working in not only those two but the others on the roster. So there isn't a lot to draw from it.
--West Virginia lost a lot of production on the defensive line, but the players there certainly look the part. We all know about Sean Martin by now but Fatorma Mulbah is a big man and Mike Lockhart looks to be in better shape. Hammond Russell is another that just stands out physically right now, while Asani Redwood was wearing green but was getting in some reps. Eddie Vesterinen had an excellent set on an inside fit where he blew up the play.
--The defensive units at the end consisted of Eddie Vesterinen, Mike Lockhart and Davoan Hawkins up front, Lee Kpogba, Jairo Faverus, Jared Bartlett, Lance Dixon at LB, Aubrey Burks, Marquis Floyd at S, and Montre Miler and Jacolby Spells at CB. Again THIS IS NOT A DEPTH CHART, just how one unit worked. Another was Hammond Russell, Fatorma Mulbah, Derek Berlitz up front, Tirek Austin-Cave, Ben Cutter, Tyrin Bradley at LB and a secondary of Avery Wilcox, Christion Stokes, Aden Nelson, Beanie Bishop and Jordan Jackson.
--Tomiwa Durojaiye and Tyrin Bradley both look the part as long pass rushing options. Durojaiye especially caught my eye because I didn't recognize who it was at first.
--We'll be back out at practice Saturday and will have an update then.
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