West Virginia defensive coordinator Zac Alley has inherited a defense that has undergone a lot of change from the one that took the field last season.
The Mountaineers had to add a significant number of players to the unit given the turnover from the coaching change and exodus during the spring.
So what exactly was Alley looking for when it came to identifying those newcomers?
“If we watch a transfer portal guy you can watch his highlights or you can go watch him play an entire game and you go watch him play an entire game and realize a guy like Fred Perry … every single play everything he’s got is going to come out of him,” Alley said on 3 Guys Before the Game.
Perry, who played for Alley during his first two years at Jacksonville State demonstrated exactly what he wants to see out of his players in terms of effort. And that is a key component for what makes transfer portal and high school options a fit for the West Virginia defense.
Speed also is critical because of the way that the game is now played in space makes it a necessity to find those options that can run.
“We need guys that can, that can athletically change direction and run in a way that they have a chance to be successful,” Alley said.
On top of the physical pieces to the equation, Alley also believes it's critical to get background information on every possible addition so he calls anybody and everybody that he can to get an idea on how those players are from a character perspective as well.
Because while the physical aspects are critical, the other components are just as key as well.
Then comes the aspect of their fit in the scheme and the program.
“When you get them in the room you can talk to them and I kind of lay out the vision for how we want to be and what we’re going to be both as a team then defensively,” he said. “And I want to see how they react to that.”
It takes a different type of football player to play under head coach Rich Rodriguez and he expects a high standard at all times. So Alley makes sure that players understand that so there’s no surprises.
“Those types of things where you can tell does this dude have that fire in them to be a guy that’s going to want to come in and freaking dominate? Or is he going to be just ‘I'm O.K. with being average?” Alley said.
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