West Virginia redshirt senior Adam Pankey doesn’t prefer looking back at what happened in the past instead keeping his eyes in the present.

The one-time tackle, turned guard, turned tackle again has fared much better on the outside of the offensive line this time around a development he credits to several things.

One, was the fact that he was given reps at the left tackle all throughout fall camp in order to prepare him in the instance he was going to be used there.

Once redshirt sophomore Yodny Cajuste went down with an ACL injury it became apparent he would be needed.

Now older, more mature, Pankey was the first choice to fill that role.

“It goes back to reps. When I got popped out there before there was no reps. They got me a lot of reps even during camp so it was way more comfortable for me,” Pankey said.

The second part of the equation came in offensive coordinator Joe Wickline and his extensive work with tackles over the years. While Ron Crook handles the bulk of the offensive line responsibilities, he has been able to spend individual time and reps with Wickline to improve.

“We’ve put him in there and tried to show him as many pictures as we could and how he’s going to react. He’s not a finished product,” Wickline said.

That means working on different sets and hand placement such as how to respond if defensive lineman try to get inside or outside.

“He brings a different style of coaching. He’s real energetic and upbeat,” he said.

The results are Pankey feeling more confident in not only his abilities but his overall technique. It’s a transformation that is night and day from where Pankey was during his time at tackle last season.

One game in particular that stuck out was against TCU when he struggled with the Horned Frogs pass rushers.

But now with experience at both guard and tackle he has used that to help him bring a physical element to the outside while showing the ability to take on the various pass rushers of the Big 12.

With seven games left in his college career it’s not something that Pankey takes for granted especially after his off the field incident earlier this year that cost him the season opener against Missouri. He now has placed his focus on making the most of each of his remaining opportunities.

Pankey has learned from his past mishaps and is now ready to turn the page.

“I’m very humble being around the team and being able to contribute,” he said.