--A lot of energy for spring ball and the focus is a three-day install offensively and are taking things slower on defense. They want to focus on fundamentals and how they train, etc. First year players it was really fast for them today but they will get better. A few guys stood out were Dante Stills and Taijh Alston. They had an exceptional off-season and were stronger at the point of attack. Jalen Thornton played his best football game in the bowl and followed it up. Lee Kpogba at linebacker has a bright future, he runs and they need his speed at that spot. Jared Bartlett looks different; he’s put on some significant weight. Lance Dixon is expected to make a significant jump and Charles Woods can be as good as any cornerback in the league. On offense, James Gmiter and Jordan White stood out. Tony Mathis has continued to do well while Justin Johnson who is going from year one to year two you saw the same kind of jump. Brian Polendey is running with the ones and he was brought in to give some help and he showed today that he is going to help. Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Sam James were consistent and Preston Fox made several plays today. Austin Brinkman had a really good day today at long snapper and Casey Legg made a kick to save the guys from running at the end.
--The run game and how they are installing it are different. They expect to be improved with that. For them up front, they didn’t start the season off well but once they got to the bye week and beyond they ran the ball against the teams they should have but they have to be able to do it against great defenses. The pass game there are some things Graham Harrell is teaching different. There are some significant differences.
--It’s too early to say identity but they have a chance because they have veterans and talent at the defensive line and offensive line. Dante Stills is going to be much improved and more consistent because his approach has been so much different. Taijh Alston is an upper, tier player in this league. Sean Martin is playing with a lot more confidence and Jordan Jefferson finished the year strong. Offensively they return every starter and have two guys that earned freshman all-American honors. They have talent, experience and good leadership. He doesn’t know the identity yet, but those are two of the stronger position groups on the team.
--Brown just tried to present the data to Dante Stills when he was looking at possibly returning for another year. He isn’t involved in the NFL and doesn’t know how they are evaluating guys but they can ask questions to get an idea where he could potentially go. Dante Stills feels really strongly about this being his home state and wanting to represent it and not being pleased with how things finished. He wants to be more consistent and have better video.
--Saint McLeod will be out for the spring. He is going to recover but there isn’t a timetable. He is doing well and is in good spirits but will be out for the spring.
--Davis Mallinger is playing at spear, and Naim Muhammad is there.
--It’s too early to tell when Mike O’Laughlin will be back out there. It’s a repeat injury but he would confidently say that he will be out here when he kicks things off.
--Some guys can do dual things. They can play Aubrey Burks and Hershey McLaurin at free safety and other spots and the same can be said. They are going to add multiple pieces in the secondary.
--They have three quarterbacks and they’re going to go through the spring and rotate them by age. Try to get them similar reps and then they’ll turn it around and let it go in different orders to see things. They will go into next week and do some team and see how they drive the football.
--Brown likes the running back room and it’s the best they’ve had top-down talent wise and he likes the leadership that Tony Mathis has shown. He is calm, his route running and pass protection has improved. Lyn-J Dixon is fast and a home run hitter, while Jaylen Anderson is a natural runner and has a bright future here. All four of those guys give them a chance.
--The team looks better from a physical standpoint. Jared Bartlett, Lance Dixon, Dante Stills, Justin Johnson, Ja’Quay Hubbard all look significantly different than last year. Weightlifting is all about strength but it’s about getting the big guys stronger and making sure they’re disciplined and tough.
--Bandit has to be more productive. They’ve shown flashes but they have to be more consistent. It starts fundamentally and it starts with the drops and getting to the run fits and being sounder. It isn’t always about making the flash play but being more sound. They want to get into multiple looks they can play three down and four down fronts and can go to a bigger base 4-3 instead of a 4-2-5. One of the things they really want to do is get bigger to the field.
--Jeremiah Aaron can play inside and outside and Cortez Braham will come and they will wait and see. They will add a linebacker, two pieces in the secondary and they will see if they need to wait. Numbers are probably one short of where it needs to be at wide receiver but wait and see there.
--The Mountaineers want to get faster in the secondary. It comes back to team speed and in the back end it’s really good with speed but they’ll continue to add to that. Offensively they feel like they’re in good shape. They don’t expect any drop off at that position, at running back they’ll be more productive as a unit. At quarterback is to be determined although he likes to talent but he wants to play it out.
--West Virginia was going to take two in the secondary regardless of if Nicktroy Fortune was here or not.
--Jaylen Anderson played a lot of receiver at Perry, he started on defense and has good body control. He is able to make dynamic cuts and is good in the pass game. They really excited when they got him because they had him in camp and was able to overcome the academic stuff. He did some nice things in bowl prep and now he has to continue to get in shape.
--West Virginia has got high hopes with punting but it'll take some time. Oliver Straw has a huge leg, but they need some of those guys behind him.
--Return game they came out of blocks fast, need a bigger body back there on kickoff return and looking at the running backs and Sam James there. James returned punts in the bowl game and they'd like him or Davis Mallinger to get that.
--Brandon Yates played really good football at times but some areas he has to get better. Ja'Quay Hubbard has made a big push and he is more confident. They have to be better and that's a fair assessment and they will be at right tackle.
--The run game and how they are installing it are different. They expect to be improved with that. For them up front, they didn’t start the season off well but once they got to the bye week and beyond they ran the ball against the teams they should have but they have to be able to do it against great defenses. The pass game there are some things Graham Harrell is teaching different. There are some significant differences.
--It’s too early to say identity but they have a chance because they have veterans and talent at the defensive line and offensive line. Dante Stills is going to be much improved and more consistent because his approach has been so much different. Taijh Alston is an upper, tier player in this league. Sean Martin is playing with a lot more confidence and Jordan Jefferson finished the year strong. Offensively they return every starter and have two guys that earned freshman all-American honors. They have talent, experience and good leadership. He doesn’t know the identity yet, but those are two of the stronger position groups on the team.
--Brown just tried to present the data to Dante Stills when he was looking at possibly returning for another year. He isn’t involved in the NFL and doesn’t know how they are evaluating guys but they can ask questions to get an idea where he could potentially go. Dante Stills feels really strongly about this being his home state and wanting to represent it and not being pleased with how things finished. He wants to be more consistent and have better video.
--Saint McLeod will be out for the spring. He is going to recover but there isn’t a timetable. He is doing well and is in good spirits but will be out for the spring.
--Davis Mallinger is playing at spear, and Naim Muhammad is there.
--It’s too early to tell when Mike O’Laughlin will be back out there. It’s a repeat injury but he would confidently say that he will be out here when he kicks things off.
--Some guys can do dual things. They can play Aubrey Burks and Hershey McLaurin at free safety and other spots and the same can be said. They are going to add multiple pieces in the secondary.
--They have three quarterbacks and they’re going to go through the spring and rotate them by age. Try to get them similar reps and then they’ll turn it around and let it go in different orders to see things. They will go into next week and do some team and see how they drive the football.
--Brown likes the running back room and it’s the best they’ve had top-down talent wise and he likes the leadership that Tony Mathis has shown. He is calm, his route running and pass protection has improved. Lyn-J Dixon is fast and a home run hitter, while Jaylen Anderson is a natural runner and has a bright future here. All four of those guys give them a chance.
--The team looks better from a physical standpoint. Jared Bartlett, Lance Dixon, Dante Stills, Justin Johnson, Ja’Quay Hubbard all look significantly different than last year. Weightlifting is all about strength but it’s about getting the big guys stronger and making sure they’re disciplined and tough.
--Bandit has to be more productive. They’ve shown flashes but they have to be more consistent. It starts fundamentally and it starts with the drops and getting to the run fits and being sounder. It isn’t always about making the flash play but being more sound. They want to get into multiple looks they can play three down and four down fronts and can go to a bigger base 4-3 instead of a 4-2-5. One of the things they really want to do is get bigger to the field.
--Jeremiah Aaron can play inside and outside and Cortez Braham will come and they will wait and see. They will add a linebacker, two pieces in the secondary and they will see if they need to wait. Numbers are probably one short of where it needs to be at wide receiver but wait and see there.
--The Mountaineers want to get faster in the secondary. It comes back to team speed and in the back end it’s really good with speed but they’ll continue to add to that. Offensively they feel like they’re in good shape. They don’t expect any drop off at that position, at running back they’ll be more productive as a unit. At quarterback is to be determined although he likes to talent but he wants to play it out.
--West Virginia was going to take two in the secondary regardless of if Nicktroy Fortune was here or not.
--Jaylen Anderson played a lot of receiver at Perry, he started on defense and has good body control. He is able to make dynamic cuts and is good in the pass game. They really excited when they got him because they had him in camp and was able to overcome the academic stuff. He did some nice things in bowl prep and now he has to continue to get in shape.
--West Virginia has got high hopes with punting but it'll take some time. Oliver Straw has a huge leg, but they need some of those guys behind him.
--Return game they came out of blocks fast, need a bigger body back there on kickoff return and looking at the running backs and Sam James there. James returned punts in the bowl game and they'd like him or Davis Mallinger to get that.
--Brandon Yates played really good football at times but some areas he has to get better. Ja'Quay Hubbard has made a big push and he is more confident. They have to be better and that's a fair assessment and they will be at right tackle.
