West Virginia looks for certain qualities in ascending players
The success of Hudson Clement and Preston Fox last season didn’t materialize out of nowhere. And it certainly didn't take the coaching staff by surprise.
The pair were two of the top four receivers in terms of yardage and both share the common thread that they joined the program as walk-ons prior to emerging into key pieces to the roster. And while their emergence might have been a surprise to some outside the program, the signs were there.
Clement is the leading returning pass catcher in terms of yardage with 480 and also grabbed 4 touchdowns. After a prolific career at Martinsburg, Clement started making waves in the Monday night developmental practices toward the end of his first year on campus.
That carried over into the spring and eventually fall camp. The only thing standing between Clement and potentially making an impact was the opportunity to do so. And he got that when Devin Carter didn’t suit up against Duquesne and he responded with 5 catches for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns.
That earned Clement a scholarship offer, and he would remain a fixture of the rotation for the rest of the season and now is primed to take on an even larger role as a redshirt sophomore.
Fox, a Morgantown product, sat out his first season and then redshirted in his second due to having the COVID-19 year to develop further. However, in 2022 Fox was put on scholarship after an impressive showing in the spring game and was able to work his way onto the field that fall. And while it was primarily special teams he did see time in the wide receiver rotation.
But much like Clement, Fox was making plays in practice, and that eventually led to a bigger role with the with the Mountaineers finishing this past year with 26 catches for 368 yards and a pair of scores. He also served as the primary punt returner with 18 attempts for 145 yards.
It too didn’t happen overnight, but the groundwork for him making his way onto the field was set in practice when he was consistently making plays that gave him an opportunity.
“You could see those guys making a bunch of plays and they just needed an opportunity,” head coach Neal Brown said.
And while doing it in practice and in-game situations are entirely different as Brown as had plenty of players that haven’t responded when the lights come on it is key to make those first steps.
“You have no chance if you don’t make plays in practice,” he said.
So, the blueprint is there for others to emerge as the Mountaineers have continued to heavily invest in their walk-on program with talented pieces of the roster.
The signs are obvious whether it’s a wide receiver winning against man coverage and making contested catches, an offensive lineman who is making point-of-attack blocks, defensive linemen tearing off and winning one-on-one pass-rushing opportunities or linebackers making tackles and plays on the ball.
“Those are the things you are looking for,” Brown said.
It’s unclear if West Virginia will have any players emerge from the current crop of players but Brown has been encouraged by what he has seen out of several, especially on special teams.
Wide receiver CJ Cole has grown into one of the leaders of the team and has a chance to start on three units, University products Colin McBee and Donald Brandel both could be in line for work on those teams too, while defensive lineman Derek Berlitz also is in the mix.
West Virginia has had a lot of success with their walk-on program and it’s something that takes time.
“Several that are really making a difference,” Brown said.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan
