West Virginia Mountaineers football: Five reasons to be optimistic in 2019
West Virginia has undergone quite a bit of change in a short period of time with the coaching staff and then the roster due to graduation, departures and new additions. But with what has unfolded we look at reasons for optimism heading in to the 2019 season.
Here are five of those.
The program gets a fresh start - It’s a new era in Morgantown.
Now at the helm for West Virginia is Neal Brown and by his side is a group of primarily young, energetic and interactive assistants.
Brown’s resume is impressive having led Troy to three straight 10-win seasons including three consecutive bowl victories and a pair of wins over Power 5 schools in LSU and Nebraska during his reign.
It’s easy to say that with the staff transition and numerous holes on West Virginia’s roster, the Mountaineers may be in for an up-and-down campaign this season with some growing pains mixed in after carrying very high expectations just a year ago.
However, that’s not to say a potential big year is out of the question because it’s college football and you just never know what could happen year-to-year.
College football head coaches having success during their first season isn’t exactly unheard of as fresh starts have done wonders for other programs.
Notable examples include Auburn’s Gus Malzahn turning around the program during his first season in 2013, June Jones leading Hawaii to a nine-win season in 1999 after a winless season the year before and Dan Mullen helping Florida achieve a 10-win season this past year for the first time since 2015.
West Virginia has also risen above low and/or rebuilding year expectations before and one example is the 2005 season which saw the Mountaineers finish 11-1 capped off by a win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. This was a three-win improvement from the season prior. The difference though is the 2005 season was Rich Rodriguez’s fifth year in the program and this is Brown’s first.
Now I’m not saying this year’s West Virginia team will defy expectations like the 2005 squad nor am I saying there’s no chance the Mountaineers won’t rise above this year’s expectations but a fresh start with a staff like this is a reason why fans should feel optimistic about the 2019 season.
Talented newcomers enter the picture - The new staff got off to a strong start and turned heads when not a single signee in the 2019 recruiting class backed off their pledge following the exits of Dana Holgorsen and company.
This staff also managed to add to the class and as of now, all but three signees in the 2019 recruiting class have enrolled and there’s plenty of things to like about this group.
The class features four junior college recruits in cornerback Dreshun Miller, offensive lineman John Hughes, safety Noah Guzman and defensive end Tajh Alston--Alston is coming off an impressive spring and saw reps with the first team defense. Miller, Guzman and Hughes will be expected to compete for playing time and provide depth in what are positions of need for the Mountaineers.
Among the incoming freshman are wide receivers Winston Wright and Ali Jennings who’ll have the opportunity to compete for playing time and the same goes for safety Tykee Smith and some others.
READ: Redshirt or play? A look at the 2019 WVU recruiting class
With additions come departures each offseason and especially unexpected ones such as safeties Kenny Robinson and Derrek Pitts and wide receiver Marcus Simms being among those who have exited the program following the spring.
Transfers, including JUCO ones, have made their mark at West Virginia in the past and have been a key asset for the program to be able to fill immediate needs and build depth at certain positions.
This offseason has been no different as Brown and the new staff have added some key pieces through transfers such as wide receivers Sean Ryan (Temple) and George Campbell (Florida State), quarterback Jarrett Doege (Bowling Green), safety Alonzo Addae (New Hampshire), the three JUCO transfers mentioned above and graduate transfer defensive lineman Reuben Jones (Michigan).
Addae will have to sit out this upcoming season due to transfer rules and Doege’s eligibility this season is unclear. Ryan has applied for a waiver and will hear from the NCAA at some point about whether or not he’ll be immediately eligible.
Regardless, eligible transfers and some newcomers from the 2019 recruiting class will have the opportunity to step in and compete right away for playing time at critical positions.
With 12 commitments already in the 2020 class, there’s excitement brewing regarding the program’s future, but this staff’s efforts since January in recruiting could pay dividends this upcoming season.
Coaching staff has Big 12 experience - Six coaches on the staff including Brown have Big 12 experience.
Brown, quarterbacks coach Sean Reagan and co-offensive coordinators Chad Scott and Matt Moore have all spent time at Texas Tech while inside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Blake Seiler and defensive coordinator Vic Koenning have each had a stint at Kansas State.
The reason I bring this up is that it’s important to note that even though most of these coaches haven’t coached in the Big 12 for a few years (except for Seiler), they at least have experience in this conference and can perhaps get a quicker feel for what to expect from certain programs and adapt having coached in the conference before.
One thing a new coaching staff can also do is present unknowns to opponents with Brown and staff changing some things up a bit schematically, but it’s mostly the terminology that’s different according to West Virginia players.
However the same can happen to West Virginia with there being four new coaches in the Big 12 entering the 2019 season including Brown, but as mentioned before, the prior conference experience can be beneficial here in the 2019 campaign.
West Virginia is stacked up at running back - The running back position is easily the strongest position on the offensive side of the ball for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia returns not one, not two but three different running backs who each played in 11 games last season in seniors Martell Pettaway and Kennedy McKoy and sophomore Leddie Brown.
These three accounted for all but 60 of the team’s rushing yards last season and 334 of the team’s 425 carries.
There are some question marks on the offensive line for West Virginia this season and developing a consistent run game up front will be nothing but critical heading into next season since it’s an area this team has struggled in for the past two seasons.
These running backs will also be counted on to become stable targets in the passing game this season as well.
“Inside zone is always going to be inside zone. Power is always going to be power. It’s the same read concepts, the same steps. None of that is very different,” Leddie Brown said this past spring. “The backs are going to have more of a catching-aspect to the offense.”
Add incoming freshman Tony Mathis, a versatile back who can run and also catch passes out of the backfield, to the mix and now you have even more competition in an already deep running backs room.
The defense may be better than expected - Offensive players talked about it all spring long.
New defensive coordinator Vic Koenning’s 4-2-5 defense which features a defensive end/linebacker hybrid position (bandit) and linebacker/defensive back hybrid (spear) caused the offense problems all spring.
“There are some days we come into film, and our heads are spinning because of some of the looks that this defense gives you,” offensive tackle Colton McKivitz said during the spring.
“It’s a good thing that we get to see that because some defenses will just sit there and play a 4-3 and play it even, but some teams like TCU or Oklahoma State are going to move around a lot. With our defense, they are moving even more, so I think that’s going to be a big help coming up in the fall.”
As mentioned earlier, West Virginia has lost critical pieces to its defense, most notably at defensive back in Robinson and Pitts and some depth in E.J. Brown.
But even with these departures, there are still reasons to feel optimistic about the unit this upcoming season.
Cornerback Josh Norwood looks to be someone who can fill one of the voids at safety, a position he played in JUCO.
READ: Could Norwood be answer for WVU at safety after departures?
This position group features some key returning starters and contributors from last season such as Reese Donahue and the Stills brothers and others that made significant strides during the spring in Alston and Jeffery Pooler.
Dylan Tonkery returns to lead the unit’s linebackers and will be playing in the MIKE spot. Josh Chandler, another player who had a breakout spring, has been working at WILL and Alabama transfer VanDarius Cowan is working at bandit.
Again, there are questions all over this roster and that’s the case for some positions on the defense. There’s potential to work with but this unit will have to overcome some growing pains and look to its returning play-makers to help lead the way if they hope to become a force to be reckoned with.
READ: West Virginia Mountaineers football: Five reasons to be cautious in 2019
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