--West Virginia co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach ShaDon Brown said he wasn't here in body for the start of fall camp, but he was in spirit and he watched every practice through the film system. Wesley McCormick is a transfer that is doing a great job at picking up the scheme. That's the hardest part of being a transfer is adjusting to how they do things. Once they get more comfortable and confident, they can play fast. Rashad Ajayi is doing a great job and is getting better day-by-day. When he looks at their feet he can tell how much they're adjusting because smooth feet means confidence. The freshmen are still in the developmental stages but there is a lot of upside.
--Brown brought in guys with experience by design. Older guys left the program so they needed to replace that and it should pay dividends when they go up the road and play Pittsburgh because those older guys won't be nervous.
--Charles Woods is the best corner in the Big 12. He is really steady and he is confident. He plays fast and improved his body and conditioning. The thing that he has done is that he has grown from a maturity standpoint and now he is a coach on the field.
--Brown cut his teeth at the FCS level at Wofford. He knows there are good players there and the DNA of West Virginia is a blue collar mentality and a lot of those FCS additions have that. What he was surprised by was how quick things happened for Charles Woods last season. If they can get anything close to that out of the other transfers, it will be striking gold again.
--The OTAs have been really good because you can get alignment and assignment. It's really good to hear the calls and align the formations and you hope that the knowledge sticks. You can start ahead of where you are normally at. When he coaches and corrects, they know what he is talking about.
--The feet is the transient mobile. If a guy is moving around and his feet are panicked it means he doesn't know where he is going. He wants it to be smooth and know where he is going. If his feet are panicked, he knows he doesn't know where to go. Their key, which is their eyes, is going to take the feet where to go.
--Jaylon Shelton is a guy that he recruited out of Tyler and he missed a lot of the OTAs. He had about two weeks and maybe three or four OTAs instead of 16. He was further behind but he has a skill set. He wants to find length and speed and he has both of that. It will take a little bit but he has the skill set to be successful.
--All of the newcomers can help on special teams. He isn't a big believer in redshirting anybody so when you have special teams you want guys that can play in space and are fast and each of them fit that bill.
--It's good to cross train and it gives players a chance to keep themselves healthy to make a tackle which could save a game when they were doing the defensive drills on offense.
--The thing that stood out was ball production on Ajayi and McCormick. They had shown that ability at their previous schools and he wanted to have guys that had in-game experience.
--Andrew Wilson-Lamp and one of the things he did was change his body. He has grown so much mentally after moving over from wide receiver. He is a longer cornerback.
--Jasir Cox has played inside the box and outside the box, which they're letting him play deep. He has a natural skill set and is a really heady player and can slip and move and not get blocked. His brother transferred to LSU and was drafted by the Cowboys. That was an eye opener for Cox to try his hand at the next level to try to get drafted.
--They give the kids direct feedback to make sure where they are and where they can improve.
--Speed helps create turnovers and eliminate big plays.
--West Virginia co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Chad Scott said that Tony Mathis is doing really well, seeing things well and pass protection and catching the ball. He has shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Justin Johnson had a great summer and has done a phenomenal job. Jaylen Anderson has been a big surprise and has taken a big step. He is really confident and doesn't know what he is doing but has started to find himself. CJ Donaldson is a hybrid and did a lot with the ball in his hands. He wasn't sure how he would respond to it but he was open to moving there. He has done a really great job studying the offense and they have thrown him into the fire and done a lot of reps. They don't want to overload him but he is a player that can move around and play all over as he continues to develop.
--Donaldson did a lot in high school with the ball in his hands. They recruited him to play tight end but because of his versatility and ability to run and he came in physically imposing. He is game ready right now physically. They found a gem. He's been impressive.
--They are all one and have to do it all. They're doing a lot of 20-personnel with two backs. Donaldson is very versatile.
--Anderson has made a complete turnaround. He is completely different than he was at this time last year.
--Very comfortable with the depth overall, really good players and quality. He is trying to keep them healthy throughout camp. Markquan Rucker has done a good job.
--Pass protection makes those guys play with a level of confidence to recognize it and see the blitzes.
--Justin Johnson is sure of himself and has such a level of confidence is the biggest thing. He is playing with the same athleticism, talent and ability in high school right now. He has worked his way down to the front row in the meeting rooms.
--The crossover drill helps the defensive players master some techniques that they might need to use in turnover situations and it can help them get in position to make plays and carry the football once they do force a turnover. On the offensive side, it teaches them how to tackle.
--There is more variety with the inside zone and outside zone mix compared to being primarily an inside zone team last year.
--Brown brought in guys with experience by design. Older guys left the program so they needed to replace that and it should pay dividends when they go up the road and play Pittsburgh because those older guys won't be nervous.
--Charles Woods is the best corner in the Big 12. He is really steady and he is confident. He plays fast and improved his body and conditioning. The thing that he has done is that he has grown from a maturity standpoint and now he is a coach on the field.
--Brown cut his teeth at the FCS level at Wofford. He knows there are good players there and the DNA of West Virginia is a blue collar mentality and a lot of those FCS additions have that. What he was surprised by was how quick things happened for Charles Woods last season. If they can get anything close to that out of the other transfers, it will be striking gold again.
--The OTAs have been really good because you can get alignment and assignment. It's really good to hear the calls and align the formations and you hope that the knowledge sticks. You can start ahead of where you are normally at. When he coaches and corrects, they know what he is talking about.
--The feet is the transient mobile. If a guy is moving around and his feet are panicked it means he doesn't know where he is going. He wants it to be smooth and know where he is going. If his feet are panicked, he knows he doesn't know where to go. Their key, which is their eyes, is going to take the feet where to go.
--Jaylon Shelton is a guy that he recruited out of Tyler and he missed a lot of the OTAs. He had about two weeks and maybe three or four OTAs instead of 16. He was further behind but he has a skill set. He wants to find length and speed and he has both of that. It will take a little bit but he has the skill set to be successful.
--All of the newcomers can help on special teams. He isn't a big believer in redshirting anybody so when you have special teams you want guys that can play in space and are fast and each of them fit that bill.
--It's good to cross train and it gives players a chance to keep themselves healthy to make a tackle which could save a game when they were doing the defensive drills on offense.
--The thing that stood out was ball production on Ajayi and McCormick. They had shown that ability at their previous schools and he wanted to have guys that had in-game experience.
--Andrew Wilson-Lamp and one of the things he did was change his body. He has grown so much mentally after moving over from wide receiver. He is a longer cornerback.
--Jasir Cox has played inside the box and outside the box, which they're letting him play deep. He has a natural skill set and is a really heady player and can slip and move and not get blocked. His brother transferred to LSU and was drafted by the Cowboys. That was an eye opener for Cox to try his hand at the next level to try to get drafted.
--They give the kids direct feedback to make sure where they are and where they can improve.
--Speed helps create turnovers and eliminate big plays.
--West Virginia co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Chad Scott said that Tony Mathis is doing really well, seeing things well and pass protection and catching the ball. He has shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Justin Johnson had a great summer and has done a phenomenal job. Jaylen Anderson has been a big surprise and has taken a big step. He is really confident and doesn't know what he is doing but has started to find himself. CJ Donaldson is a hybrid and did a lot with the ball in his hands. He wasn't sure how he would respond to it but he was open to moving there. He has done a really great job studying the offense and they have thrown him into the fire and done a lot of reps. They don't want to overload him but he is a player that can move around and play all over as he continues to develop.
--Donaldson did a lot in high school with the ball in his hands. They recruited him to play tight end but because of his versatility and ability to run and he came in physically imposing. He is game ready right now physically. They found a gem. He's been impressive.
--They are all one and have to do it all. They're doing a lot of 20-personnel with two backs. Donaldson is very versatile.
--Anderson has made a complete turnaround. He is completely different than he was at this time last year.
--Very comfortable with the depth overall, really good players and quality. He is trying to keep them healthy throughout camp. Markquan Rucker has done a good job.
--Pass protection makes those guys play with a level of confidence to recognize it and see the blitzes.
--Justin Johnson is sure of himself and has such a level of confidence is the biggest thing. He is playing with the same athleticism, talent and ability in high school right now. He has worked his way down to the front row in the meeting rooms.
--The crossover drill helps the defensive players master some techniques that they might need to use in turnover situations and it can help them get in position to make plays and carry the football once they do force a turnover. On the offensive side, it teaches them how to tackle.
--There is more variety with the inside zone and outside zone mix compared to being primarily an inside zone team last year.
