Spring practice didn't happen at West Virginia due to the concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

But once football does resume at some point in the fall, likely Aug. 7 when camp could begin, one area that will have a microscope on it is the developments at MIKE linebacker.

The Mountaineers used several different players there in 2019 as the program couldn’t find consistency at the position for a variety of reasons.

Now, when practices do start back up whenever that may be the Mountaineers are going to explore all options in order to find the best solution to the issue.

That means cross-training the two inside linebacker spots, the MIKE and BANDIT in order to discover which players could be perhaps an upgrade in that role.

Of course redshirt senior Dylan Tonkery is back and had put together a strong off-season after appearing in 469 snaps last year between multiple positions including MIKE. He started a total of 11 of the 12 games on the schedule and finished with 36 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.

“Tonkery has had a phenomenal off-season,” head coach Neal Brown said.

Gone from the roster is Shea Campbell, who filled in there at times and actually surpassed Tonkery with 40 tackles in only one start over the 11 games he appeared in throughout 2019.

But the most interesting on the table is redshirt freshman Jared Bartlett. The Georgia native appeared in four games last season, falling under the umbrella of the redshirt rule, and finished with 9 tackles.

While he was slotted at bandit for most of the time last year in action, due to the crossover at the position it makes for a seamless transition to the new spot.

He is one of the most athletic and dynamic linebackers on the roster and will likely be pitted against Tonkery in a battle that is going to be one of the more interesting to follow as whatever is left of the spring and the summer continues into the fall.

“I think that’s a battle that I think will be one to watch,” Brown said.

Even more so that Brown has already proven that he isn’t afraid to slot young players into the mix if they outwork the veterans ahead of them.

Without the benefit of spring ball, this gives us a position to watch heading into the fall as the Mountaineers look to rework the defensive unit.

----------

• 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, @PatrickKotnik

•Like us on Facebook