--Inside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Koonz said they are on track with their schemes on special teams. They have some really good competition going on and have been putting them in pressure situations every day. They are stronger and more flexible there.
--Josh Chandler-Semedo is playing MIKE and had a heck of an off-season gaining weight and cutting body fat, while Exree Loe is off to a good start and is playing well. Lance Dixon joined West Virginia this summer and plays with a lot of energy. Everyday he is grasping the scheme and the techniques more. Deshawn Stevens is a different body type and a bigger kid but has played inside the box. He is picking up the scheme and if he makes a mistake is able to correct is quickly. They've got some young guys like James Thomas and Devell Washington that are really going through their first fall camp after how different last year was.
--With the transfers it's like recruiting a high school kid and with Dixon there was some carry over but a lot that was really different. Stevens played an edge guy and then moved to the inside. That has showed up when he rushes the passer. During the evaluation process, he understood what they had to work on.
--One of the points of emphasis coming into fall camp was communication with the linebackers. You have to be able to adjust coverages on the move. The linebackers are the heart beat of the defense and has to connect the front end and the back end. In camp there is a lot of walk throughs and meetings so they're able to go over it and make the calls and adjustments. It's not about being out there for seven hours anymore, now it's about the repetition mentally.
--Right now Koonz said that his linebackers are being asked to do so many things they have to be accurate in their positioning in the scheme. So far the missed assignments have been minimal. They have flashed as pass rushers and coverage but have fit the run more consistently than at any point last year.
--Koonz has always been a firm believer that 80-percent of tackling is angles and you can work that without actually tackling. Sometimes your best tackling drills is 7-on-7 because everybody has to keep their angles and their leverage at the ball.
--They put so much emphasis in special teams drill work in the spring and they tried to develop the depth charts for those units from that. Now, they'll try to look after seven days of fall camp and maneuver some guys and add some players to it that have impressed in camp.
--Kickoff wise they are getting the depth and the hangtime they want and have good competition there. They've shown flashes of being where they want to be but have to be more consistent with that. Field goal kicking has taken turns being the guy, with Evan Staley and Casey Legg. Long snappers are two guys fighting it out and with punting they've been focused on hangtime and other things.
--They chart and time everything so there will be a difference in some areas in all special teams competitions.
--Koonz got married in Iowa and he had an objective to keep his groomsmen busy during the day so they got a bat and played the original field and house of the Field of Dreams. They did batting practice for about four hours.
--Co-defensive coordinator ShaDon Brown believes that when he got here he really tried to get to know his guys personally before he started coaching them. They built some camaraderie during the spring and improved defending the ball in the deep part of the field. They've carried over what they did in the spring so far.
--Brown said that they started playing this game as players because it was fun. Sometimes you forget that it's a game and it's fun and it's super exciting to see a young man screw up and battle back to make a big play. He's an energetic coach and that's what he portrays.
--Nicktroy Fortune is doing a great job putting together some good days and has changed his mentality. He is a cautious player and he wanted him to be more aggressive and make plays on the football. Alonzo Addae has become the leader of the room and communicates very well. The guy that has flashed for him has been Sean Mahone. He has been good with playing the ball and being in the right spot. Jackie Matthews has been steady too and is taking the opportunity to maximize his reps.
--Daryl Porter is a guy that has had some really good days. He is running with the twos and being rotated in with the ones. His depth on the outside at corner has been upped and is better than where it was before. He feels comfortable putting him or Illinois State transfer Charles Woods into the game.
--Brown said never have all old or all young when it comes to defensive backs so you can have that buffer and somebody to look to on the grass. That way they can get freshmen paired up with older guys in order to see what they need to do.
--Woods has played some inside as well as playing outside at corner. He has played some at spear as well because Brown likes to cross train everybody. He's really mature and is a very heady guy. If you coach him up one time on a mistake, he's got it and he understands concepts.
--Alonzo Addae can play multiple positions, Scottie Young and Charles Woods can as well. In order to do that you have to be able to retain information and can they be at their best when they go back to their normal spot. They have to be able to handle it mentally which those three can.
--When you go to extra DBs you want coverage and they want to make sure they'll get the best coverage guys on the field which can move people around depending on who does what the best. That means they can move cornerbacks from inside to outside depending on where each player excels.
--Coach Dontae Wright and Brown work together very well and they will even coach each other's positions and then coach the field and the boundary. It's a truly collective effort and it's good because they've got good camaraderie.
--Andrew Wilson-Lamp is making strides at cornerback and is learning. He has given great effort so far and is one of the fastest players on the roster. He will contribute immediately this fall on special teams.
--Co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Chad Scott said that they are working on getting Leddie Brown more touches outside of the backfield and he can do a better job overall with blocking and recognition.
--Talent equals production so you must be able to show it. The second and third team running backs are going to have to show what they can do and earn those roles. Tony Mathis worked on that during the spring and Justin Johnson has shown that as well.
--As a position group when Leddie Brown isn't in the game they had to have production behind him. They need somebody that is reliable and won't drop off when Brown is out of the game.
--Trust is the biggest thing with Leddie Brown. He's an extremely competitive kid and he's hard on himself so he knows how to talk to him and get him to move onto the next play.
--April 29, 2020 Brown sent Scott a text that said he is tired of being overlooked and wanted to ball. He took it upon himself to learn the entire backfield. They'd have split practices and he'd come out in the afternoon and would do some things that he couldn't coach.
--Scott admits he has to be conscious of not over using Brown. He's getting reps in but it's a feel thing throughout the game. You get to the point where he's running really well and productive and you got a decent lead you have to get him out.
--One of the biggest projects he's had is trying to find non-traditional ways to get Brown the ball.
--A'Varius Sparrow has ability to do it but he's just got to be able to do it. They want to see him further along than he is.
--Justin Johnson has done a phenomenal job of picking up pass protection and he's probably had the best summer of any freshman he's been around. He has great balance, great vision and has playmaking ability.
--Tony Mathis is finally trusting his abilities. He is trusting what he does and understands the defensive play. He is running the ball at an elite level and has tremendous strength but had to take that strength from the weight room to the football field to break tackles. That is what he is doing and is seeing it very well. He has practiced catching the ball as well and it has really increased his confidence.
--Josh Chandler-Semedo is playing MIKE and had a heck of an off-season gaining weight and cutting body fat, while Exree Loe is off to a good start and is playing well. Lance Dixon joined West Virginia this summer and plays with a lot of energy. Everyday he is grasping the scheme and the techniques more. Deshawn Stevens is a different body type and a bigger kid but has played inside the box. He is picking up the scheme and if he makes a mistake is able to correct is quickly. They've got some young guys like James Thomas and Devell Washington that are really going through their first fall camp after how different last year was.
--With the transfers it's like recruiting a high school kid and with Dixon there was some carry over but a lot that was really different. Stevens played an edge guy and then moved to the inside. That has showed up when he rushes the passer. During the evaluation process, he understood what they had to work on.
--One of the points of emphasis coming into fall camp was communication with the linebackers. You have to be able to adjust coverages on the move. The linebackers are the heart beat of the defense and has to connect the front end and the back end. In camp there is a lot of walk throughs and meetings so they're able to go over it and make the calls and adjustments. It's not about being out there for seven hours anymore, now it's about the repetition mentally.
--Right now Koonz said that his linebackers are being asked to do so many things they have to be accurate in their positioning in the scheme. So far the missed assignments have been minimal. They have flashed as pass rushers and coverage but have fit the run more consistently than at any point last year.
--Koonz has always been a firm believer that 80-percent of tackling is angles and you can work that without actually tackling. Sometimes your best tackling drills is 7-on-7 because everybody has to keep their angles and their leverage at the ball.
--They put so much emphasis in special teams drill work in the spring and they tried to develop the depth charts for those units from that. Now, they'll try to look after seven days of fall camp and maneuver some guys and add some players to it that have impressed in camp.
--Kickoff wise they are getting the depth and the hangtime they want and have good competition there. They've shown flashes of being where they want to be but have to be more consistent with that. Field goal kicking has taken turns being the guy, with Evan Staley and Casey Legg. Long snappers are two guys fighting it out and with punting they've been focused on hangtime and other things.
--They chart and time everything so there will be a difference in some areas in all special teams competitions.
--Koonz got married in Iowa and he had an objective to keep his groomsmen busy during the day so they got a bat and played the original field and house of the Field of Dreams. They did batting practice for about four hours.
--Co-defensive coordinator ShaDon Brown believes that when he got here he really tried to get to know his guys personally before he started coaching them. They built some camaraderie during the spring and improved defending the ball in the deep part of the field. They've carried over what they did in the spring so far.
--Brown said that they started playing this game as players because it was fun. Sometimes you forget that it's a game and it's fun and it's super exciting to see a young man screw up and battle back to make a big play. He's an energetic coach and that's what he portrays.
--Nicktroy Fortune is doing a great job putting together some good days and has changed his mentality. He is a cautious player and he wanted him to be more aggressive and make plays on the football. Alonzo Addae has become the leader of the room and communicates very well. The guy that has flashed for him has been Sean Mahone. He has been good with playing the ball and being in the right spot. Jackie Matthews has been steady too and is taking the opportunity to maximize his reps.
--Daryl Porter is a guy that has had some really good days. He is running with the twos and being rotated in with the ones. His depth on the outside at corner has been upped and is better than where it was before. He feels comfortable putting him or Illinois State transfer Charles Woods into the game.
--Brown said never have all old or all young when it comes to defensive backs so you can have that buffer and somebody to look to on the grass. That way they can get freshmen paired up with older guys in order to see what they need to do.
--Woods has played some inside as well as playing outside at corner. He has played some at spear as well because Brown likes to cross train everybody. He's really mature and is a very heady guy. If you coach him up one time on a mistake, he's got it and he understands concepts.
--Alonzo Addae can play multiple positions, Scottie Young and Charles Woods can as well. In order to do that you have to be able to retain information and can they be at their best when they go back to their normal spot. They have to be able to handle it mentally which those three can.
--When you go to extra DBs you want coverage and they want to make sure they'll get the best coverage guys on the field which can move people around depending on who does what the best. That means they can move cornerbacks from inside to outside depending on where each player excels.
--Coach Dontae Wright and Brown work together very well and they will even coach each other's positions and then coach the field and the boundary. It's a truly collective effort and it's good because they've got good camaraderie.
--Andrew Wilson-Lamp is making strides at cornerback and is learning. He has given great effort so far and is one of the fastest players on the roster. He will contribute immediately this fall on special teams.
--Co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Chad Scott said that they are working on getting Leddie Brown more touches outside of the backfield and he can do a better job overall with blocking and recognition.
--Talent equals production so you must be able to show it. The second and third team running backs are going to have to show what they can do and earn those roles. Tony Mathis worked on that during the spring and Justin Johnson has shown that as well.
--As a position group when Leddie Brown isn't in the game they had to have production behind him. They need somebody that is reliable and won't drop off when Brown is out of the game.
--Trust is the biggest thing with Leddie Brown. He's an extremely competitive kid and he's hard on himself so he knows how to talk to him and get him to move onto the next play.
--April 29, 2020 Brown sent Scott a text that said he is tired of being overlooked and wanted to ball. He took it upon himself to learn the entire backfield. They'd have split practices and he'd come out in the afternoon and would do some things that he couldn't coach.
--Scott admits he has to be conscious of not over using Brown. He's getting reps in but it's a feel thing throughout the game. You get to the point where he's running really well and productive and you got a decent lead you have to get him out.
--One of the biggest projects he's had is trying to find non-traditional ways to get Brown the ball.
--A'Varius Sparrow has ability to do it but he's just got to be able to do it. They want to see him further along than he is.
--Justin Johnson has done a phenomenal job of picking up pass protection and he's probably had the best summer of any freshman he's been around. He has great balance, great vision and has playmaking ability.
--Tony Mathis is finally trusting his abilities. He is trusting what he does and understands the defensive play. He is running the ball at an elite level and has tremendous strength but had to take that strength from the weight room to the football field to break tackles. That is what he is doing and is seeing it very well. He has practiced catching the ball as well and it has really increased his confidence.
