If you haven’t seen the catch yet, you probably should.

Redshirt sophomore Alec Sinkfield was matched up against freshman Tykee Smith in one of the competition drills and the safety was sticky in his coverage.

Sinkfield, who was running a flag route, gave a subtle head nod to the opposite side and created just enough space to fit the football in. All parties involved executed and it was poetry in motion on the Mountaineers practice field.

The ball was throw to the corner of the end zone with Sinkfield besting the coverage to somehow come down with a left-handed grab in the back of the end zone while managing to stay in bounds.

It was the type of route and catch combination that didn’t make you think it was simply a running back playing the receiver position.

There’s a good reason for that.

“That was a phenomenal route,” position coach Chad Scott said. “If you look at the route he didn’t like a running back running a receiver route.”

At the conclusion of spring ball Sinkfield had a meeting with head coach Neal Brown where he was asked if he wanted to do some trial and error by expanding what he could do as a wide receiver. The Florida native had been well-known as a pass catcher at running back but this was more.

It was a feeling out at the position, but Sinkfield quickly realized he could handle it.

Brown wanted Sinkfield to essentially become a wide receiver in a running back’s body.

The move would allow Sinkfield to have more opportunities to impact the game, while providing West Virginia with a versatile player that could move around the formation to create mismatches and move into different looks by keeping the same personnel on the field.

“I knew it was going to be tough with it being Kennedy (McKoy) and Martell (Pettaway)’s senior years and me only being 188-pounds. So how many carries are they looking to get me out of the backfield?” he said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity to make plays in different ways.”

But it took a lot of work if he wanted to double as a wide receiver. Instead of just being a running back going through the motions, Sinkfield had to learn how to understand coverage and route routing. If he wanted to be a wide receiver, he had to take the initiative to do so.

Sinkfield quickly realized an appreciation for the position as he sorted through what all he was asked.

“They run so much and then you’ve got to come back and do it again. Then you’ve got to block,” he said. “They have a lot on their plate and appreciate and understand what they do.”

The versatile running back has the full route tree under his belt being asked to master flag patterns, posts, out-routes and even go-routes. The plan is to utilize a player like Sinkfield out of the backfield into the slot in order to create mismatches with linebackers.

It’s a lot more on his plate, but it’s something he has embraced especially after missing the bulk of last season with an ankle injury against Youngstown State.

Some of the adjustments of playing the position came natural to Sinkfield like when it comes to stacking routes or head movements in order to fool the defense.

“In order to create separation you have to do something,” he said.

But other areas have been more difficult such as learning steps with the routes and reading coverages.

He has the the attention of his teammates as well.

"I just love seeing him go out there and run routes. He reminds me of Alvin Kamara from the Saints just the way he runs and he can line up in the slot," redshirt freshman Sam James said. "That one handed catch was crazy."

Still, the versatility of Sinkfield is going to open doors for both him and West Virginia as a versatile prospect that can stress a defense by sliding into the slot or carrying the ball.

He’s going to be at wide receiver at times, but don’t be confused by his positon.

“I’m still a running back,” he said.

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