Cross-over teaching on tap for West Virginia football

Neal Brown understands all-too-well that this isn’t going to be a normal football season.

That goes for all aspects of it including preparation for games. That will be evident in the cleaning and precautions that will need to take place to ensure that there is no spread of COVID-19, but also in many other areas that aren’t normally part of the process.

One of those is going to come with crossover between positions and sides of the ball.

Yes, due to concerns over coronavirus some players on the roster are going to have to do double duty this fall. Players will begin working with the coaching staff July 13 for eight hours per week and then things will increase to 20-hours per week July 24 before fall camp begins Aug. 7.

That cross training is more likely to occur in meeting rooms than on the field in actual practices, but it is critical to have players trained to handle multiple jobs if they need to be called upon to do so. That is more easy to do at the skill positions, but you’re going to see it ranging across the roster.

“Some of the wide outs are going to train at safety and corner. Some of the corners and safeties, we will have to teach them base formations and base routes,” Brown said. “Some of our defensive ends might have to learn tight end.”

It’s a necessity with so much uncertainty around every corner when it comes to the potential of a football season this fall just to make sure that teams potentially have enough players at each spot on the field. It’s a very real and important matter that the coaches are ironing out.

“You’ve got to have some guys that can cross over,” he said.

It’s just another chapter in an unprecedentedly unique off-season as we approach a potential football season that nobody, including Brown and the rest of the coaches, have any idea what it could look like.

While at a different level entirely, the good news is that some of these players already have experience playing both ways at the high school level. But now, the focus will be to mentally have some ready just in case they are called upon to handle a different role if the ball is kicked off this fall.

One positive is that Brown believes that due to the pandemic, he and the rest of his coaches should be better teachers because of how much time they’ve had to devote during the virtual meetings. That will be put to the test as the Mountaineers ready for yet another major difference this fall.

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