Travis Trickett knows what he’s eventually going to have in the West Virginia tight end room and it’s an exciting proposition. But they first have to get there.
Trickett is in his third year leading that position group and the Mountaineers have invested significantly in both improving and developing depth in that room.
But overall, there is still plenty of youth in the room with two players that have seen game action and a trio of scholarship freshmen.
Redshirt junior Mike O’Laughlin is by far the most experienced option at the position after playing 631 snaps the past two seasons. The former high school wide receiver is front and center in the tight end room but missed the majority of the fall while dealing with a lower extremity injury.
Still, that didn’t mean there wasn’t jumps that O’Laughlin couldn’t make.
“From a leadership aspect that’s probably the biggest difference between Mike O this year to last year. Number one has been leadership and second is probably strength,” Trickett said. “He got a lot stronger this off-season and worked his tail off with Mike Joseph.”
With O’Laughlin sidelined it did allow for valuable reps to be dispersed between the rest of the group in order to attempt to establish some depth behind him. That made this fall an important proving ground to see where those behind O’Laughlin where at and where they needed to be.
It was an opportunity that Trickett pushed his unit to take.
Redshirt sophomore T.J. Banks has played 180 snaps the past two seasons and finding a way to make him more consistent and physical was the focus this fall. He’s made strides in those departments and has taken more reps than at any point in his career which has put him in line to be more of a factor.
The freshmen are all at different levels, but Trickett is excited for where they will eventually be as players. Charles Finley, a second-year freshman, came in at 210-pounds but has added a dozen to his frame and has flashed plenty of athleticism at the position.
Treylan Davis is more of a physical road-grader and has a chance to eventually be the type of player that will stick his face in there and move people as he continues to develop. The final piece of the puzzle is Swedish tight end Victor Wikstrom who is loaded with physical ability but is still developing to the game after coming over to the states and is going to take some time to season.
Every day is a proving ground in that room with O’Laughlin sidelined and Trickett constantly reminds his players to make the most of these additional opportunities.
“Every day is a competition. You’ve got at bats, so what are you going to earn with those at bats on the field?” Trickett said.
The position coach has challenged his unit to take ownership of where they’re at currently and put the necessary work into becoming what they can eventually be. It isn’t a spot that often sees instant gratification but the development over time has Trickett excited for the future.
“I’m excited about what we can be, but I’m not satisfied with where we’re at. I know where we’re going to be and we’re going to get there but do you have an urgency to get better now to get to that spot sooner. As long as we’re pushing and maximizing it then I’m satisfied,” he said.
Growth has been the key word for fall camp when it comes to the tight end room at West Virginia and there’s plenty of reason to believe that it’s occurred across the board.
“We wanted to see where TJ was growth wise and obviously our young guys as well,” he said.
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