Brandon Yates is finding his footing at the center position.
The redshirt senior had the tall task of replacing three-year starter and second-round NFL Draft pick Zach Frazier at the position but has started to make the most of the opportunity up front.
Yates has played 205 snaps across the first three games of the season and after some timing issues with some snaps against Penn State has settled in for the Mountaineers.
“First time in that situation for me as a center and since then I haven’t had any mistakes like that,” he said. “Every single game I’ve gotten better at the things I need to get better at with communication and being the same guy with consistency.”
Finding that level of consistency is critical as the center is tasked with a lot of responsibilities for the offensive line, but Yates believes that he is coming off his best game against Pittsburgh. In that contest, Yates recorded a total of eight knockdowns, second of the team behind only Nick Malone who had a whopping 13.
That number wasn’t a surprise to Yates, who had seen the development of Malone during that time as well. While he has always been athletic, he has committed himself to the weight room and has played with a lot of effort upfront, which has led to his early season success at right tackle.
“He’s playing extremely hard,” Yates said.
Overall, the offensive line has been improving from that first game and has played with the physical element that position coach Matt Moore wants to see out of the group.
“We went out there and played really, really hard and got people on the ground,” Yates said.
The biggest adjustment for Yates, who has played all over the line during his career has unquestionably been on the mental side of things as he has focused more on watching film not only of himself but the rest of the line. He understands that it requires a big-picture view.
The physical aspect comes in the form of body maintenance as the center is in the box battling with bigger bodies that often require them to win one-on-one matchups, especially in odd or bear situations.
But Yates is looking forward to the challenging and growing in his role in the middle of the offensive line as a key piece to the unit.
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