West Virginia football CB Fortune relies on his smile to push through

Through the ups and the downs, you can count on Nicktroy Fortune to smile.

It’s something his late mother, Iliana, always did. She passed away in August, forcing Fortune to be away from the team as he dealt with losing one of the most influential people in his life.

So now, as he attempts to move forward without ever forgetting he constantly tries to carry a smile on his face as a way to honor her life, memory and the lesson’s she taught him.

“Growing up she always told me, always smile,” he said. “I’m just filled with joy every day.”

Make a mistake on the field? As awkward as it is at times, he’s still smiling. It might seem odd at the time, but adversity will happen and it’s about how you respond that truly defines you as not only a player but a person. That’s what he has thought about even in his darkest moments on and off the field.

That was the case Saturday after giving up a touchdown pass on the second series of the game where Fortune had perfect position but the ball bounced off his hands into receiver’s arms for six-points.

It should have been intercepted, he knows that, but it wasn’t. So after collecting himself, it was onto the next play without hesitation. He would proceed to only give up three more grabs for 14 yards. It was a representation of that next play mentality that is required to play the position.

The sophomore has developed into a starting cornerback for West Virginia in his second full season with the program. That is a much different role than he inherited last year when he played only 312 snaps on the season behind two seniors at the position. Now, through four games he has played all but 20 of the 247 total snaps and has allowed only 12 passes to be completed in his coverage.

The biggest difference between the two seasons is what is being asked out of him.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be the first one starting off a drive. So this year knowing that I’m starting, it’s just preparation and focusing on being consistent week in and week out,” he said.

That was on display this week ahead of the Texas Tech contest, when Fortune was able to put the Kanas game behind him Saturday and already started to work on film of the Red Raiders the following day. He took it upon himself to request film and get a head start on what he would be up against.

The Red Raiders are known for using tempo which means technique wise, Fortune has to have his eyes in the right spot at all times. Fortune is one of two starting cornerbacks for the Mountaineers defensive unit which currently ranks atop college football. He admits that playing in the scheme has provided him even more confidence as he continues to develop at the position.

The challenge now is to remain grounded especially against a back half of the schedule that is much more difficult than the front end.

Fortune knows that because of that alone there will be challenges ahead, but no matter what he’ll always have his smile and the memories it brings to fall back on.

----------

• 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, @JaredSerre

•Like us on Facebook