West Virginia defensive lineman Mike Lockhart played 45 snaps in the opener against Penn State. It’s a total that he wasn’t able to hit at all during his first season in the program.

And the redshirt junior only managed to even hit a total of 40 snaps one time across the 12-game schedule and a big reason for that was the fact he physically couldn’t manage the demands of that.

Lockhart, a transfer from Georgia Tech, didn’t participate in spring football after entering the transfer portal in February last year which put him behind the eight after selecting the Mountaineers in May.

Because he missed spring practice, Lockhart had to take accountability of his own workouts and that proved much more difficult than having the coaches leading that charge.

West Virginia jumped into the mix after he entered the transfer portal due to a prior relationship with defensive line coach AJ Jackson who initially recruited him out of high school when he was at Mississippi State. Those ties led to him selecting the Big 12 Conference program after a visit.

“I felt like we could be a great defensive line. I liked the schemes they could put me in and I wasn’t going to be a robot,” Lockhart said.

Once arriving on campus in the summer, Lockhart was able to start his transformation process which allowed him to fill a role across 266 snaps in his first year with West Virginia. Still, he wanted more.

If the opener is any indication, Lockhart should have it.

On one play, Lockhart’s effort was noticeable as he tracked down a screen pass from behind and made a tackle on the running back 15-yards down the field. That was a testament to the work done with strength and conditioning coach Mike Joseph with extra sprints after practice.

“I had to get in shape to play more,” he said.

Lockhart recorded two total tackles in the opener while bouncing around to several different spots up front. It’s a situation he found himself in last year, but he now believes he is in position to play consistent plays in a row which was an issue at times.

“I really took accountability in spring ball and wanted to be able to play four, five, six plays in a row and be able to run to the ball. I think coaches like a defensive lineman that has a motor,” he said.

It’s part of a continued evolution for Lockhart who was once a high school basketball player until his final year of high school when he made the transition to the defensive line. That took him some time to continue to add weight, but he doesn’t regret where the game has taken him.

Especially with his toolbox of skills that he picked up on the hardwood.

“Definitely helps, especially my footwork and my quickness,” he said.

Now, Lockhart is hoping to continue his ascension and make a bigger impact as the calendar moves forward in the best shape of his career and some valuable lessons learned along the way.

“Definitely helped me be a better football player but with more accountability I have to work hard and grind for everything,” he said.

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