West Virginia RB Donaldson gaining experience, making leaps in spring

Spring football is important for every player on the West Virginia roster but if you had to rank the significance of the practices on their overall development CJ Donaldson would be near the top.

That might seem odd for a player that rushed for 526 yards and 8 touchdowns in only seven games before his season was cut short due to an injury against TCU. But the sophomore still has plenty of room to grow especially considering he had never played running back prior to last June.

Donaldson was recruited as a tight end out of high school before the coaching staff moved him to the running back position due to a combination of necessity and his overall skill set.

At 6-foot-2, 240-pounds, Donaldson was a versatile option for Gulliver High School in Miami that showcased the ability to not only catch the football but make plays happen after he was able to reel in the ball.

“They moved him around a bunch. He’s just got a natural feel for understanding the spacing element and that’s hard in the pass game. There’s a timing aspect and a space aspect but he’s been doing that,” head coach Neal Brown said. “He understands that.”

The South Florida prospect wasted little time showing the coaches that the position move was one that could pay dividends as he first impressed in the first full scrimmage of spring practice showcasing a burst and physical element that made him difficult to tackle.

That only carried over once the season was underway starting with the season opener against Pittsburgh where he rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on only 7 carries.

It’s not that the coaches didn’t see him playing because physically they knew he was ready for the challenge. It’s the fact that as a running back is not where they thought it would be.

And while his season was cut short, Donaldson proved that he was more than equipped to handle the role of a running back despite the fact that he was still very much developing in the position. Unlike most running backs, Donaldson hadn’t seen a lot of reps at inside or outside zone and instead spent most of his time doing the things that running backs need to be trained on in the pass game.

So essentially, the sophomore is learning things in reverse from a typical running back. That’s exactly why every rep that Donaldson is able to log this spring is important.

“If he’ll continue to work on his body and stay healthy he’s got big time ability. He really does. He’s an extremely smart football player and he showed that today,” Brown said. “Had a couple explosive runs and showed good patience and he’s a load to tackle”

The more experience that Donalson can get the better for his overall development and getting reps is a major part of that to understand how to make his overall skill set better.

And even though West Virginia isn’t tackling Donaldson to the ground often this spring after returning from his injury, the end result is the same.

The talented back should be even better in year two as he gains an even better feel and understanding for playing what is still a relatively new position.

"He needs those reps running the football because he’s only going to continue to get better," Brown said.

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