West Virginia experimenting at spear in spring
Without the pressure of preparing for a game, spring football has always afforded coaches the opportunity to try some different things with personnel.
And one of those will be to work senior safety Aubrey Burks at the spear spot.
Burks has started 23 games over the past two seasons in the backend, but the coaching staff wants to get a better look at what he can do at the spear spot after playing there some in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
The Mountaineers have used him there in some sub packages in the past but given the overall depth in the secondary, it will allow the coaches to explore it further.
“We’re going to continue to dual train him. He’ll probably get more reps playing spear than he will at deep safety during the spring,” head coach Neal Brown said.
It’s a decision rooted in the fact that Burks has proven to be able to come off the edge as a blitzer and that’s been an area where the Mountaineers have struggled the past few seasons. Former safety Tykee Smith excelled in that role while he was on campus, but it’s an area that must improve for the defense to take a step forward.
“We really haven’t had that blitzer, but Aubrey really has got a natural feel for that,” Brown said. “So, I think that can be a bump for us.”
Burks tends to agree.
"I'd say I'm very twitchy and my biggest skill is my IQ. I understand the game a lot. It's definitely getting me better," he said.
But that won’t be the only option.
Raleigh Collins is coming off his best winter in the program and despite limited action in the past will be competing for a larger role. True freshman Zae Jennings also has the ability to play there as well as returning player Avery Wilcox.
A pair of transfers in Northwestern safety Jaheem Joseph and Duquesne cornerback Ayden Garnes also are expected to be trained at multiple positions including the spear spot.
Given the overall depth, West Virginia also will have the ability to match personnel some at that spot by potentially playing Garnes there in dime packages depending on how he fares or even moving a linebacker such as Tray Lathan in there against either 12 or 21 personnel.
But for now, it’s simply about experimenting and trying to find the best fits.
“We’ve got more bodies there, so we’ll be able to match personnel more than in the past,” Brown said.
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