Bigger, stronger Donahue a key piece to the WVU defensive line
Reese Donahue knew he had to get bigger.
So the junior defensive lineman did.
After finishing the season playing at 250-pounds, some of that contributed to an illness that caused him to drop extra weight, Donahue made it a goal to bulk up.
That meant lots of eating and lots of time with strength and conditioning coach Mike Joseph.
“They know when to push you, when to pull back,” he said.
On the nutrition side, that meant more and bigger portions while balancing school and football.
It was a move that was not only spearheaded by Donahue, but the coaching staff as well as the plan has been to continue to balloon the defensive linemen up.
It was a quick turnaround, but the end result was getting up to around 275-pounds and looking like a much bigger player on the defensive line.
And it isn’t just weight, it’s strength as well with the most recent body composition detailing that Donahue had gained eight pounds of lean muscle.
The added weight is essential for several reasons, not only to withstand the beating of playing in the Big 12 Conference, but to become more of a force when it comes to holding gaps. The extra weight allows Donahue to hold his point and not be so easily displaced.
“As long as you can keep the same relative speed and quickness you don’t get moved around as much and it helps with run fits,” Donahue said.
And it’s something he’s noticed already on the field as Donahue has gone from being the young guy at the position to one of the veteran leaders. He’s also noticed that many of his counterparts are taking the same lead and putting in work to become bigger.
“Coach (Bruce) Tall always says that it doesn’t matter what weight you play at as long as you can handle yourself. Realistically for me to handle and do all the things I want to do I have to play a little heavier,” he said.
West Virginia had only five scholarship defensive linemen this spring and it required Donahue to receive more reps than he typically would this time of the year. He’s also expanded the mental side of things in order to match his growth from a physical standpoint.
As part of the spring, Donahue and the rest of the linemen, cross trained at all of the spots up front in order to have more options with the depth they do have. Yes, that even means lining up Donahue at nose guard and letting him go at it.
A thought that last year would have been difficult to grasp but that’s what weight will do for you.
