Freshman TE Jack Sammarco making waves in fall camp
West Virginia has veterans at the top of the tight end room, so it was a little surprising to hear head coach Neal Brown single out a true freshman in Jack Sammarco as one of the players making a move in fall camp.
Sammarco, 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, has added good weight since he first arrived in the spring and understands how to utilize his natural frame in both the run and the pass game. His body isn’t done changing at this part of his career, but he has embraced his overall skill set on the field.
And the tight end has already demonstrated the ability to showcase his football smarts.
“If you coach him up on something once, he doesn’t make the same mistake,” tight end coach Blaine Stewart said. “Jack just does a really good job when you put him in there he tries to execute to the best of his ability.”
Sammarco also had the opportunity to get some valuable reps in the spring with Kole Taylor sidelined and Stewart points to some examples where he repped with the first team in 12-personnel and had to go against players such as Sean Martin and Eddie Vesterinen. That will aid any young player with their development.
Combine that with the time he spent in the off-season and it’s no wonder he has made leaps.
“It’s allowed him to play with great confidence this fall, and he’s had the ability to go against everybody on our defense whether it’s the first group down to the third and fourth and he has excelled in certain opportunities,” Stewart said. “I think Jack does a great job executing when his number is called.”
Sammarco has made plays in the pass game, but it’s his size and skill set in the run game that has the coaching staff especially excited about his potential.
“That’s why we took a body type like that because we needed some length and some size,” Stewart said.
And perhaps one of his best assets at this stage of his career is the fact that he is a high-energy player who always has a smile on his face and his teammates enjoy being around him. That makes it easy to both coach and play with somebody that approaches the game with those traits.
Stewart compares it to the way San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle approaches the game and just loves being able to play the position and uplifts his teammates.
Sammarco likely isn’t going to hold a major role for the Mountaineers this coming season given that experience and depth ahead of him but the strides he is taking makes the coaches excited for his future.
“Jack has a really bright future whether it’s the next four or five years he’s going to be a key piece to what we do on offense,” Stewart said.
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