WVSports.com looks at the weekly press conference from West Virginia head coach Neal Brown and determines the five most interesting topics of discussion.

We examine what was said as well as what it means for the football team both this week and moving ahead as the Mountaineers navigate the 2019 schedule.

1—Brown simply doesn’t have an opinion. From here on out if you ask Brown a blanket question for something that is happening across the landscape of college football, you can expect the same answer. He simply wants to know the rules, so he can abide by them. He isn’t into making legislation or offering his opinions on subjects such as California recently clearing the way so college athletes can profit from brand sponsorships and endorsement deals. To put it frankly, it’s not something Brown is spending a lot of time on and instead has placed his focuses on his own team and trying to improve it. Basically, he isn't going to be offering fluff quotes.

This has been a party line across all of these sweeping change questions since Brown assumed the role of head coach and as long as teams are on an even playing field – he honestly doesn’t seem to care.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how we’re going to get some first downs,” he said.

2—Young players impressing. West Virginia had a bye week and that meant time to see some of the younger players on the roster showcase what they can do in the developmental practices. And that’s exactly what happened for a number of them. Bowling Green transfer quarterback Jarret Doege was one of the standouts of the week and while he is likely to redshirt this year, Brown made it clear that he threw the ball well and they are excited for him moving forward. Doege has the most on-the-field experience of any of the quarterbacks on the roster, but after off-season surgery and being behind Austin Kendall it made the most sense to redshirt him in order to have him ready to compete next year in the quarterback derby.

Doege has already thrown 39 touchdowns at the college level during his time with the Falcons so injecting him into the competition next season once he is able to get a full year of playing in the scheme under his belt could make for an interesting position room next year.

Along with Doege, two freshmen that are likely on the pathway to redshirting on the defensive side that made noise were bandit linebacker Jared Bartlett and defensive lineman Jalen Thornton. Both are still in the process of getting bigger and more prepared for their respective roles but the fact they are making waves this early is nothing but a positive. It wouldn’t be shocking to see either make their way onto the field in some capacity this fall under the four game redshirt rule.

The final two players that impressed are already playing this year in inside wide receiver Isaiah Esdale who has continued to wrestle away playing time at that spot with his practice habits and safety Tykee Smith who is a player that has been highly productive in his limited snaps. The expectation is that both are going to continue to carve out more time given how they have performed in practice.

3—Big recruiting weekend on tap. West Virginia will host the No. 11 Texas Longhorns in a marquee matchup at Mountaineer Field and with that comes opportunities to showcase the program. The game is a sellout, and you can expect quite a few of those to be prospective prospects. The Mountaineers aren’t expected to host many, if any, official visitors but the program is going to welcome a long list of not only 2020 prospects but 2021 and beyond to campus.

This is a chance to showcase the atmosphere inside Milan Puskar Stadium as well as give some of those prospects a chance to see what West Virginia football is all about. Expect a number of talented prospects from both in-state such as defensive end Sean Martin and 2021 pass rusher Zeiqui Lawton and out of state options such as athlete JJ Jones and others. Recruiting so often boils down to relationships and momentum and instances like this afford the chance for the Mountaineers do take advantage of both. While you won’t be able to get a full picture of this staff’s recruiting efforts until the following class, this is another chance to take advantage of having those caliber of prospects on campus.

For a full list of who’s expected you can follow this link.

4—Welcome Vandarius Cowan. At long last, the wait is over. Redshirt sophomore Vandarius Cowan will make his way onto the field in some capacity after spending one season sitting out due to a transfer and then an additional four games due to a suspension handed down by the NCAA. The former four-star prospect and Alabama linebacker obviously passes the eyeball test standing 6-foot-4 and nearly 240-pounds but what can be the expectations for him when it comes to actual production?

Well, if anything the coaching staff is certainly downplaying his initial impact a bit by constantly reminding media that he hasn’t played in a football game in well over a year. There’s also the adjustment of playing in a new defensive scheme at his second different position as well.

It’s impossible to predict what he will be able to do when he takes the field against the Longhorns but at worst he is going to provide an athletic edge rusher that adds to the bandit spot. Senior Quondarius Qualls has been asked to play too many snaps through the first four games and Cowan is a natural pass rusher that has the size and athleticism to at least spell him for some snaps.

The talent here is obvious but can it all come together on the field? That has been the question since the Mountaineers first elected to take Cowan after he was dismissed from Alabama. Well, the good news is he has been doing and saying all of the right things behind the scenes and seems ready at last to make a first impression with the fan base at large. Will it meet their lofty expectations? That remains to be seen but at least we’re finally to the point where we are talking about him making an impact on the field instead of what he has been doing away from it.

5—One player set to redshirt. When West Virginia initially signed four-star junior college cornerback Dreshun Miller it was assumed that he was going to step in and make an impact immediately in the Mountaineers secondary. That was especially true after he enrolled in January in order to go through all of spring ball to become acclimated to the defense and what was being asked of him. The arrow was pointing up even more after the program had to move one of the starting cornerbacks in Josh Norwood to safety after losing a pair of starters to the transfer portal. But it hasn’t materialized.

Miller was hurt in fall camp and had surgery which forced him to the sideline and true freshmen into the lineup. Now, the plan is for him to indeed redshirt this season and preserve a year of eligibility while trying to get him into at least four games at some point this year. It’s unfortunate circumstances for Miller, but part of the game as he now must rehab in order to make his way back.

The good news is that he does have that redshirt season and won’t lose a year as he rehabs regardless if he is able to get in some games later in the season. It also is going to force the program to get some of the younger players on the roster ready such as Nicktroy Fortune and Tae Mayo because there is currently no proven depth behind the two starters. There is still a lot of room for Miller to make a significant impact down the road in the program but it’s now clear that it won’t happen until next year.

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