Holgorsen focused on WVU in the now not the future

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Dana Holgorsen isn’t worried about his place in history at the moment.

Even with the eighth year head coach rapidly approaching another milestone in his career, the focus for Holgorsen is on the here and now.

Holgorsen, 57-37, is currently in fourth place all-time in wins at West Virginia but trails Art Lewis by a single game to move into a tie for third. Not too shabby considering Holgorsen had no previous head coaching experience prior to taking the head post in Morgantown.

Holgorsen trails second place, Rich Rodriguez, by three wins and then will have a little catching up to do if he wants to surpass the 149 victories that Don Nehlen racked up during his 20 years atop the program.

“It’s an honor to be here, period. And I’m sure at some point we’ll look back at it and maybe throw a party about it or something like that,” Holgorsen said.

But while the head coach isn’t focused on himself, instead diverting the attention to his current team and their accomplishments – his assistants found a little time to discuss the impending mark.

Holgorsen has clearly grown on the job from his time as a fast-rising offensive coordinator, to a head coach that controlled the play calling to his current role as more of a chief executive officer.

Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson wasn’t on the original staff that Holgorsen brought to Morgantown but has been with the program since 2013 and was elevated to his current post in 2014. He too has seen that growth and also has noticed one thing that he believes defines a quality coach.

“I think he does a tremendous job and the kids play hard for him. That’s the one thing in coaching you look for, can you get your kids to go out on Saturday and play hard? I think he’s able to do that and I think in my mind that’s what a great football coach is,” he said.

Ironically, Gibson was on staff with Rodriguez from 2001-07 but believes that Holgorsen has dealt with a difficult challenge when it comes to the move to the Big 12 and the quality of opponent.

“I don’t know if there has ever been a tougher run schedule wise than what coach has went through the last couple years,” he added.

Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has known Holgorsen for since before he was a head coach serving as a graduate assistant at both Houston and Oklahoma State before traveling with him to West Virginia. Unlike Gibson, he was part of that first staff at West Virginia under Holgorsen and was involved in the transition to the Big 12 as the quarterbacks coach for the Mountaineers.

While Spavital would go on to offensive coordinator opportunities at Texas A&M and California, he would find his way back to Morgantown as a coordinator in 2017. While not on staff at the time, Spavital points to the success in 2016 offensively with a different brand of football and then the differences this year as one of the reasons that Holgorsen has found success.

That’s because he has shown a willingness to adapt his scheme to his personnel and highlight what each group does well. That’s something that has proven difficult for many coaches in the past.

“He understands where our strengths and weaknesses are and making sure we’re in the best position for that,” Spavital said.

Another area that has grown exponentially under Holgorsen is in regards to player development, where the Mountaineers spend every Thursday focusing on the younger players in the program with 50-play scrimmages designed to grade and coach them.

“It’s the best I’ve ever been around,” he said.

There has been some trial and error during that time such as the failed experiment to attempt to recruit heavily in Texas, but through it all the program has found a niche targeting local athletes.

“West Virginia is a special place and it’s not so much going across the country and getting a certain player but it’s about getting a kid that will fit the culture,” Spavital said.

It’s been far from perfect as the 29-27 record in Big 12 Conference play and a finish no higher than third can attest to but you’re starting to see many of the things that have been talked about for several years.

Depth is showing on the field and the Mountaineers are positioned inside the top ten in both major polls with their best team on paper since joining the league in 2012.

Perhaps if West Virginia can accomplish that goal there could be that party thrown a little sooner than later.

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