McKoy searches, works for speed in off-season
Sporting hair dyed to match the colors of his college uniform, sophomore Kennedy McKoy said it.
That’s scary news for opposing defenses, to say the least. The North Carolina native, who chose the West Virginia program in large part because it reminded him of his small hometown, finished last season with 472 yards and four scores on only 73 totes out of the backfield.
If you do the math, that’s an average of 6.5 yards per rushing attempt. Not too bad for a true freshman seeing his first action at the college level and having to adjust on and off the field.
But how exactly does one go about getting faster and improve their breakaway speed?
For starters, it's no easy process. It simply takes work.
McKoy spent time getting his legs stronger, while working on his quads, hamstrings and ankle flexibility in order to hit that extra gear when he gets into the open field and pull away from defenders. In the process, he dropped around three-pounds but found a comfortable playing weight with added burst.
His position coach Tony Dews agrees.
"He does look faster. From watching the game film from a year ago," he said.
Now in fall camp, the versatile McKoy is seeing his off-season efforts pay off.
“I can feel a difference,” he said.
McKoy served as the third running back for West Virginia a season ago behind Rushel Shell, who is gone to the NFL, and Justin Crawford.
This season he slots in right behind Crawford in the early stages of fall camp but he’s not satisfied with just accepting that role admitting that he’s pushing to start. Even with Crawford being the leading returning rusher in the Big 12 Conference, competition is never a bad thing.
“Always. We all just come in here and look to push each other,” he said.
Last season was difficult at times for McKoy as he adjusted to seeing college defenses and figuring out how to react in certain situations. He didn’t have any issues with splitting the carries with others, however, as he embraced the team concept early into his time with the football program.
While getting in the games was one thing, McKoy made his first career start on the road against Texas and that was what truly opened his eyes to where the game of college football had taken him. He would score two touchdowns while handling every carry by a running back outside of four totes on that day as the Mountaineers downed the Longhorns 24-20.
“I just went out there and did what coach told me to do,” McKoy said.
Now, a year older McKoy understands the aspects he must improve in order to take the next step in his overall development. Becoming faster was step one, but in order to truly become a better player he had to develop mentally as well. That means film-work and learning not only his positions but others as well.
“I do study defenses more. I stay in the film room and know if their defensive line like to slant, if the linebackers are aggressive or on their heels,” he said.
And through it all, McKoy has noticed that the game has started to slow down for him. He now sees things that has escaped him earlier in his career. For example, when it comes to making his reads and shuffling through them quicker he can analyze how to approach situations.
“Whether it’s pass protection where I can leak out into the flats or pass protection where I have to stay in and block,” he said. “Or running the inside zone where I see the nose go away and I cut it.”
Already a natural pass catcher, McKoy is expected to be used in both the backfield and at wide receiver as the Mountaineers look for creative ways to get him the football. And that’s completely fine for him as long as he is being utilized in the West Virginia offense.
“Anyway coach wants me to get the ball, I’m good with it,” he said.
And as long as it's successful the coaching staff will be, too.