West Virginia has some very different body types that could spend some time at inside receiver.
For example, graduate transfer Noah Massey at 6-foot-3, 238-pounds, is quite the contrast to true freshman Rodney Gallagher who tips the scales at 5-foot-10, 172-pounds. But both could be quite effective for what the Mountaineers want them to do on any given play.
And that’s across the board at those inside spots.
That’s by design as the coaching staff wants to have the flexibility to put different players in the right positions to do what they’re best at on the field.
It doesn’t take much detective work to see that the two examples above are very different types of players with varying skill sets.
Massey is a big physical wide receiver that can be used as an asset in blocking while serving as a difficult players to bring down once he does get his hands on the football. Meanwhile, Gallagher is a twitchy inside receiver that plays with quickness and explosiveness that is a threat with the ball.
Position coach Bilal Marshall plans to use it all.
“That’s how that position is going to work out,” he added.
That in itself is part of the beauty of the group of players that Marshall is working with in the sense that there is the ability to bounce around inside and outside depending on the look. Too often receivers are stuck into constructs based on their physical size, but that isn’t the best approach.
“I don’t think it’s a size, speed or ability thing. I think it’s a characteristics and a skill set that you have. What are you best at?” Marshall said.
Effectively what does your skill set say about what you do well?
And as part of that Marshall isn’t expecting to narrow things down to just one or two options between those two inside spots given all that he can do there with the personnel. The goal will be to trim the overall rotation down to around eight players, but even that is a moving scale.
“I tell the guys all the time nothing is set in stone ever. And they need to keep that mindset every single day. It’s a very fluid thing we have going on,” he said.
West Virginia lost 179 catches, 2,126 yards and 17 touchdowns which is 85-percent of the total catches, 87-percent of the yards and 89-percent of the scores at the position from last year. And finding a way to replace that even if it comes in a number of different ways will be paramount.
“Not everybody does the same thing others have other strengths than others have. We’re going to put people in the position to produce and be as productive as they can in the offense,” Marshall said.
And like usual the more value you can create, the more likely a player ends up on the team bus.
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