This is one of our most popular features and part of the coverage you can get as a member of the Blue Lot. But because it's Saturday we're giving you a FREE look at our Insider Notes.
-Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said off the bat defensive end Larry Jefferson will be a situational, pass rushing guy on defense. At this point he is ahead of where Shaquille Riddick was because of the fact he was able to go through spring drills.
-Gibson echoed the thoughts that true freshman Kevin Williams has impressed. He has gotten a lot of reps and is running with the twos at SPUR, as we reported the other night. LB David Long also has impressed during the early portions of camp but due to the depth at the spot it’s hard to say if he is going to be needed this fall.
-Darrien Howard continues to improve and Gibson believes he’s strong, fast and athletic and is a nice changeup for what they have with Kyle Rose.
-The plan is rotate more bodies into the game on the defensive line but it’s not something Gibson plans to do just to do it. The backups have to prove that they are quality options and have the trust of the coaching staff in order to get into the game. That means one of the young players such as Tyree Owens, Jaleel Fields or Adam Shuler is going to need to step up.
-Asked specifically about where Xavier Pegues fits into the defense and Gibson said that he is a five-technique defensive end and he is very athletic, strong, big and fast.
-Spoke with defensive line coach Damon Codgell said that his group has a deep three-man rotation. Speaking specifically, asked him about Tyree Owens and he said that he has really changed his body because when he first arrived on campus he couldn’t run a hill. And now he knows the defense. Adam Shuler is another player that is impressive physically because he is already 270-pounds and is learning the scheme.
-Spoke with Codgell about Tyrek Cole and he said that he’s a kid that is unique. Started as a true freshman at Miramar and modeled Tracy Howard while he was there because he wanted to learn more about his technique. Cole has great footwork, is long but he just had to get heavier. Codgell believes his future is very bright and even went as far to say that if he develops the way he thinks the NFL is in his future.
-Offensive line coach Ron Crook said it’s still the same starting five across the board with LT Yodny Cajuste, LG Adam Pankey, C Tyler Orlosky, RG Tony Matteo, RT Marquis Lucas but he has started to see a lot of the backups really start to push the starters. Crook singled out Marcell Lazard, Kyle Bosch and Stone Underwood, Grant Lingafelter and Sylvester Townes as options that have started to push those starters and give the Mountaineers more depth. Crook said it makes tough decisions but what’s why you do it in order to see these kids improve. By the time the first game rolls around, Crook said he will thinks he’ll be comfortable with eight of the offensive lineman to throw into the game but nine or ten could be a bonus.
-Townes in particularly as started to show some signs of improvement after the pads went on and is showing signs that he understands the offense more. Still, he is far from a finished product and he still has a ways to go to be where the coaches want him.
-Overall, Crook said that want stands out about this group is how well they get along.
-Safeties coach Joe DeForest said Jarrod Harper has not been set back by the shoulder injury and he’s such a smart kid that he understands what he needs to do.
-Mark Scott said that unquestionably punt return is the area of emphasis during this fall camp. They are starting to feel more comfortable but have yet to put the players in a live situation yet. Right now he has four or five guys that are really catching the ball well and making good decisions but next week they plan to start putting guys in their face and seeing how they react to that.
-KJ Dillon, Gary Jennings, Jovon Durante, Lamar Parker, Vernon Davis are all guys that have impressed thus far in fall camp with fielding punts but each of them will continue to evaluated particularly when they start putting the players in more stressful situations.
-Asked specifically about Jovon Durante and Scott said he has really good hands, can track the ball well. He looks comfortable back there but they want to see how he responds once he throws the shoulder pads on and put people bearing down on him.
-This punt returner job is an open position. It doesn’t matter where they play or what role they have on the team, the best man will win this job according to Scott.
-Shelton Gibson, KJ Dillon, Gary Jennings, Jovon Durante, Jordan Thompson and Vernon Davis are all seeing time as a kick returner. Dillon has really impressed in that role but that obviously is still open. Scott said anytime they can get the ball in Gibson’s hands, they want to do it because he’s so explosive.
-Running backs coach JaJuan Seider said that he’s seen a lot of maturity out of Donte Thomas-Williams and start to take to his coaching. He’s learned a lot by the examples in front of him.
-Asked Seider about how he will distribute the carries in the backfield this fall and he told me that it’s going to be strictly a feel thing. It won’t be dictated by numbers, more just the flow of the game and the rhythm the running backs get in.
-Jacky Marcellus is still a running back and Seider said that he can be moved around to the slot but he will continue to work with the running backs in his meeting room.
-Seider said that he is a lot more comfortable putting Thomas-Williams and Marcellus in the game this fall than he was during the spring. He said he wouldn’t do it right now, but both players are starting to understand protection and how to communicate with the lineman up font. Around this time next week, Seider said he’d have a better idea on his comfort level with those two.
-Receivers coach Lonnie Galloway says, yes that Jovon Durante is small, but in order for defenders to get to him, they'll have to catch him. Galloway says Durante is scrappy, fast and knows how to avoid defenders. Despite his small stature, Durante should be able to play without problems at receiver and returner according to Galloway.
-Galloway isn't sure how many guys he is ready to put out on the field in a game right now. Even though he played two primarily last year at outside receiver and two primarily at inside receiver, Galloway says he'd like to have between 4 and 6 guys ready to play. Since it's just the sixth day of practice, he says it has time to work itself out.
-Two older receivers that Galloway put pressure on to step up this camp were Devonte Mathis and KJ Myers. Myers has responded well to Galloway's challenge. Galloway says the biggest difference with Myers is that he really understands what he can and can't do on the field. Myers understands his natural talent. Galloway says Myers tries to take advantage of every opportunity in practice that's been given to him this fall. Galloway went onto say Myers got angry during practice because the coaches took him off the field. Myers wanted to take every rep, but the coaches had to give someone else some practice reps.
-It's also safe to assume Ka'Raun White will get some playing time right away. When Galloway was asked about White, the position coach simply said "I'm glad he's here." With White, Galloway did acknowledge that there are some little things to work on, but overall he's picked up the offense rather quickly.
-One player Galloway also sees contributing is Jacky Marcellus in a multi-purpose role. He sees West Virginia using Marcellus in a role to that of Wendell Smallwood. He thinks Marcellus has done a great job in the slot when he's taking reps there.
-Defensive line coach Bruce Tall would like to have seven guys ready to play this fall. He wants to be able to go two-deep at each position, in addition to a guy that could play a few spots on the defensive line. As of right now, it appears Christian Brown, Kyle Rose, and Noble Nwachukwu will play with the ones.
-Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said off the bat defensive end Larry Jefferson will be a situational, pass rushing guy on defense. At this point he is ahead of where Shaquille Riddick was because of the fact he was able to go through spring drills.
-Gibson echoed the thoughts that true freshman Kevin Williams has impressed. He has gotten a lot of reps and is running with the twos at SPUR, as we reported the other night. LB David Long also has impressed during the early portions of camp but due to the depth at the spot it’s hard to say if he is going to be needed this fall.
-Darrien Howard continues to improve and Gibson believes he’s strong, fast and athletic and is a nice changeup for what they have with Kyle Rose.
-The plan is rotate more bodies into the game on the defensive line but it’s not something Gibson plans to do just to do it. The backups have to prove that they are quality options and have the trust of the coaching staff in order to get into the game. That means one of the young players such as Tyree Owens, Jaleel Fields or Adam Shuler is going to need to step up.
-Asked specifically about where Xavier Pegues fits into the defense and Gibson said that he is a five-technique defensive end and he is very athletic, strong, big and fast.
-Spoke with defensive line coach Damon Codgell said that his group has a deep three-man rotation. Speaking specifically, asked him about Tyree Owens and he said that he has really changed his body because when he first arrived on campus he couldn’t run a hill. And now he knows the defense. Adam Shuler is another player that is impressive physically because he is already 270-pounds and is learning the scheme.
-Spoke with Codgell about Tyrek Cole and he said that he’s a kid that is unique. Started as a true freshman at Miramar and modeled Tracy Howard while he was there because he wanted to learn more about his technique. Cole has great footwork, is long but he just had to get heavier. Codgell believes his future is very bright and even went as far to say that if he develops the way he thinks the NFL is in his future.
-Offensive line coach Ron Crook said it’s still the same starting five across the board with LT Yodny Cajuste, LG Adam Pankey, C Tyler Orlosky, RG Tony Matteo, RT Marquis Lucas but he has started to see a lot of the backups really start to push the starters. Crook singled out Marcell Lazard, Kyle Bosch and Stone Underwood, Grant Lingafelter and Sylvester Townes as options that have started to push those starters and give the Mountaineers more depth. Crook said it makes tough decisions but what’s why you do it in order to see these kids improve. By the time the first game rolls around, Crook said he will thinks he’ll be comfortable with eight of the offensive lineman to throw into the game but nine or ten could be a bonus.
-Townes in particularly as started to show some signs of improvement after the pads went on and is showing signs that he understands the offense more. Still, he is far from a finished product and he still has a ways to go to be where the coaches want him.
-Overall, Crook said that want stands out about this group is how well they get along.
-Safeties coach Joe DeForest said Jarrod Harper has not been set back by the shoulder injury and he’s such a smart kid that he understands what he needs to do.
-Mark Scott said that unquestionably punt return is the area of emphasis during this fall camp. They are starting to feel more comfortable but have yet to put the players in a live situation yet. Right now he has four or five guys that are really catching the ball well and making good decisions but next week they plan to start putting guys in their face and seeing how they react to that.
-KJ Dillon, Gary Jennings, Jovon Durante, Lamar Parker, Vernon Davis are all guys that have impressed thus far in fall camp with fielding punts but each of them will continue to evaluated particularly when they start putting the players in more stressful situations.
-Asked specifically about Jovon Durante and Scott said he has really good hands, can track the ball well. He looks comfortable back there but they want to see how he responds once he throws the shoulder pads on and put people bearing down on him.
-This punt returner job is an open position. It doesn’t matter where they play or what role they have on the team, the best man will win this job according to Scott.
-Shelton Gibson, KJ Dillon, Gary Jennings, Jovon Durante, Jordan Thompson and Vernon Davis are all seeing time as a kick returner. Dillon has really impressed in that role but that obviously is still open. Scott said anytime they can get the ball in Gibson’s hands, they want to do it because he’s so explosive.
-Running backs coach JaJuan Seider said that he’s seen a lot of maturity out of Donte Thomas-Williams and start to take to his coaching. He’s learned a lot by the examples in front of him.
-Asked Seider about how he will distribute the carries in the backfield this fall and he told me that it’s going to be strictly a feel thing. It won’t be dictated by numbers, more just the flow of the game and the rhythm the running backs get in.
-Jacky Marcellus is still a running back and Seider said that he can be moved around to the slot but he will continue to work with the running backs in his meeting room.
-Seider said that he is a lot more comfortable putting Thomas-Williams and Marcellus in the game this fall than he was during the spring. He said he wouldn’t do it right now, but both players are starting to understand protection and how to communicate with the lineman up font. Around this time next week, Seider said he’d have a better idea on his comfort level with those two.
-Receivers coach Lonnie Galloway says, yes that Jovon Durante is small, but in order for defenders to get to him, they'll have to catch him. Galloway says Durante is scrappy, fast and knows how to avoid defenders. Despite his small stature, Durante should be able to play without problems at receiver and returner according to Galloway.
-Galloway isn't sure how many guys he is ready to put out on the field in a game right now. Even though he played two primarily last year at outside receiver and two primarily at inside receiver, Galloway says he'd like to have between 4 and 6 guys ready to play. Since it's just the sixth day of practice, he says it has time to work itself out.
-Two older receivers that Galloway put pressure on to step up this camp were Devonte Mathis and KJ Myers. Myers has responded well to Galloway's challenge. Galloway says the biggest difference with Myers is that he really understands what he can and can't do on the field. Myers understands his natural talent. Galloway says Myers tries to take advantage of every opportunity in practice that's been given to him this fall. Galloway went onto say Myers got angry during practice because the coaches took him off the field. Myers wanted to take every rep, but the coaches had to give someone else some practice reps.
-It's also safe to assume Ka'Raun White will get some playing time right away. When Galloway was asked about White, the position coach simply said "I'm glad he's here." With White, Galloway did acknowledge that there are some little things to work on, but overall he's picked up the offense rather quickly.
-One player Galloway also sees contributing is Jacky Marcellus in a multi-purpose role. He sees West Virginia using Marcellus in a role to that of Wendell Smallwood. He thinks Marcellus has done a great job in the slot when he's taking reps there.
-Defensive line coach Bruce Tall would like to have seven guys ready to play this fall. He wants to be able to go two-deep at each position, in addition to a guy that could play a few spots on the defensive line. As of right now, it appears Christian Brown, Kyle Rose, and Noble Nwachukwu will play with the ones.
Last edited:
