West Virginia pass rusher Heard looking to showcase abilities
West Virginia identified and prioritized James Heard early in his recruitment – for obvious reasons.
The Mountaineers offered Heard a scholarship when he was only a freshman in high school and offensive coordinator Chad Scott maintained a strong connection throughout. That effort eventually led to his commitment following a senior season with 18 sacks while earning first-team all-state honors.
Now, in his first spring with the football program Heard is looking to make the most of his opportunities.
“Really excited to see him. He’s as good of a pass rusher as we’ve brought in here from a high school perspective,” head coach Neal Brown said.
Brown previously said that the door is open for Heard to make an impact in his first season if it is primarily in passing situations where he can use his skill set off the edge.
And it’s a necessity too considering that the Mountaineers had only 26 sacks last season and lost almost half of those in the off-season to graduation or the transfer portal.
Heard’s abilities in that area are a prime reason why the coaching staff made him such a priority to start and this spring is providing a platform for him to showcase what he can do at the bandit spot.
And defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley feels confident that there will be a role for Heard this fall in large part because he checks the biggest box.
“That’s the one thing that sticks out going back to the evaluation process. Primary pass rusher the thing you evaluate is first step if they don’t have that they don’t have anything,” Lesley said.
And Heard has certainly shown that he is equipped to handle that now it is critical for him to continue to develop it puts a spotlight on how he adjusts this spring.
“He’s on you pretty quick which is why he’s here and that’s how he’s going to be used,” Lesley said.
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