West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is establishing a formula to address the defensive back positions in the short term.

While recruiting and development is the centerpieces, in the age of the transfer portal finding immediate help is critical as well. And the Mountaineers are relying on using successful players from the FCS level to fill those needs.

Last season, the Mountaineers added Illinois State transfer Charles Woods and across his 357 snaps he permitted only 5 catches on 12 targets with a pair of interceptions. The former FCS all-American made a seamless transition to the Big 12 Conference and now returns as the highest graded cornerback by PFF.

Woods will return for this fall with a full off-season under his belt and the pattern is one that he hopes he can duplicate with one of the scholarship transfers the program has already added. But last season Woods was able to play both cornerback and safety which made him well-rounded when it came to understanding the defense.

Marcis Floyd, another FCS transfer from Murray State, has much of the same profile as Woods did a season ago. The two-time Ohio Valley Conference first-team selection and a second-team FCS all-American, Floyd has appeared in 34 career games during his time with the Racers.

Like Woods, Floyd will have two seasons left in his career and was highly productive at the FCS level compiling 86 tackles, 6 interceptions and 3 sacks. Over the 1,068 snaps he was graded during his time at Murray State he permitted only 37 of the 76 passes thrown into his coverage to be completed.

That resulted in those 6 interceptions while only allowing a pair of touchdowns. Essentially, a proven commodity at the FCS level with two years left to develop in Morgantown.

“Very similar in style to Charles Woods. You’ll see a little bit of a pattern here,” Brown said. “I really believe in these upwards trajectory guys.”

There is no guarantee that Floyd will make the same transition, but Brown sees a lot of similarities between the two and sees him taking the same path when it’s all said and done.

“I think he’ll translate and be a really good player for us at corner,” he said.

This spring Floyd is working at the cat safety position and is expanding his horizons as a defensive back in the scheme. It's something that Woods has been able to talk with him about his own transition between the various spots.

"Me and him have had quite a few talks," Woods said. "I think knowing both positions is helpful to the defense overall. Just knowing your teammate’s assignment on the same play it kind of helps you out."

That could be key considering that the Mountaineers need replacements at cornerback after Daryl Porter entered the transfer portal and eventually ended up at Miami, while Nicktroy Fortune took the same path after an injury cost him six games last season. That means that Woods as well as Floyd are going to be counted on to make an impact in the secondary regardless where that eventually ends up being.

It’s a formula that has already proven to have success and now the Mountaineers are banking on a little bit of déjà vu for this coming season at the position.

----------

• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.

• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan

•Like us on Facebook