DL Middleton working toward seeing the field

West Virginia added Tennessee transfer Darel Middleton to the roster with the intention that he was going to be able to provide some help for the defensive line this fall.

And the 6-foot-7, 305-pounder, hasn’t disappointed to date.

One look at Middleton and he certainly looks the part on the practice field but has now started to act it as well serving as an experienced option that has pushed those ahead of him on the depth chart.

“Athletic talent and his size,” position coach AJ Jackson said. “I love when my guys tower over me. I like being the smallest guy in the room.”

That experience is critical when it comes to assessing the addition of the versatile defensive lineman. Middleton appeared in 22 games during his two seasons with the Volunteers, including a total of 12 starts finishing with 43 tackles and a pair of sacks during those appearances. He is a proven contributor that before arriving in Knoxville was one of the premier junior college players in the nation.

During his two seasons with Tennessee, Middleton played a total of 582 snaps.

Once Middleton entered the transfer portal at the end of June, it was Jackson that served primarily as the contact point between him and the West Virginia football program.

“It was a lot of phone calls during my vacation and trying to learn each other over the phone. It was always during the dead period so we couldn’t go down or have him come up and do an official. So, we spent a lot of time on Facetime when I was at the beach,” Jackson said.

Those efforts eventually paid off as Middleton announced his transfer to Morgantown and has quickly assimilated himself into the Mountaineers football program. He’s far from a finished product but the potential is certainly there with how he has approached things.

“Big guys like that aren’t known for wanting to run on their own, so that’s been a constant battle. But coach (Mike) Joseph and his staff have done a good job with him, and he’s also embraced the fact that he needs to be in shape to play well,” Jackson added.

Now, knee-deep into preparation for the season opener against Maryland the expectation is that Middleton is going to be ready to contribute in some fashion. While he is expected to play a position similar to what Dante Stills is doing on the edge, head up and three-technique, Jackson anticipates that if he continues to make strides he should be ready to be available if need be.

“I do, yes,” he said.

Transfers have been a key part of the formula for West Virginia and the addition of Middleton up front is just another example of that for this coming fall.

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