After three years at Ohio State, linebacker Reid Carrico wanted a fresh start.
West Virginia was there to provide that as the program offered some familiarity given the fact that the Ironton, Ohio native grew up around 20 minutes from the state border. And because of that he already knew a number of players such as Wyatt Milum, Bryce Biggs, Treylan Davis and others on the roster.
So after he entered the transfer portal and made a visit to Morgantown, Carrico felt he had what he was looking for in the Mountaineers football program.
“It wasn’t a crazy transition at all. A lot of my family has roots in West Virginia naturally being so close to it but from that regard it wasn’t a crazy adjustment,” he said.
So, while Morgantown is quite different from what he was accustomed to in Columbus, it was a natural fit because of the fact that he is from a small town in Ironton.
“It’s nice to go to a place that’s slower-paced,” he said.
On top of the reasons off the field, West Virginia also presented an opportunity for him to carve out a larger role on it. Carrico played just 20 snaps on defense during his time with the Buckeyes, but that total was 153 on the various special teams units. A total of 117 of that came on kick coverage.
On defense, Carrico finished with 2 tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Already through seven games, Carrcio is at 103 snaps on defense and has turned that into 16 tackles with a tackle for loss as a rotational piece in the linebacker room. West Virginia runs a 3-4 scheme compared to the four-down front that he was used to with the Buckeyes, but that also presented the avid football lover a chance to simply learn more about the game itself.
To this point, Carrico believes that he has played well in his role on the defense.
“I think I’ve played pretty good. It can always be better. There’s always some plays if I could have done this, if I could have done that but thankfully we get to get up and go to practice the next day and next week and get ready to play the next opponent,” he said.
There are differences between West Virginia and Ohio State, as Carrico said that the Mountaineers football program is more developmental centered than what he was in Columbus where players often arrive ready to play right away. But the team itself is built around the same ideals.
“As far as a culture standpoint and close team and team camaraderie there hasn’t been any difference,” he said.
Carrico has embraced his role as a veteran on the defensive side of the ball and believes that he brings a good work ethic and a strong football IQ to a relatively young linebacker room. But at the end of the day, it’s about alignment and assignment and avoiding repeating the same mistakes twice.
“We study a lot of tape but there isn’t such a thing as studying too much,” he said.
He also has continued his role on special teams where he has embraced his past and allowed it to help him carve out a role in that phase as well.
“It’s part of who I am as a football player and any role they have for me on special teams that can help us win a game I want to do it,” he said.
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