West Virginia wants more aggression out of CB Fortune
It’s not that Nicktroy Fortune didn’t make his mark in his first full season as a starting cornerback.
During his sophomore season, Fortune started all 10-games and played 615 snaps at the position. He allowed only 22 of 37 passes thrown his direction to be completed for 269 yards and an interception. Only three of those completions resulted in touchdowns, as graded out strongly in coverage.
But head coach Neal Brown believes that the junior can be more. That’s why during this spring, he asked him to cut loose a little bit and play more aggressive than he has at times in the past.
It’s a different line of thinking for the Georgia native who admittedly places a strong emphasis on his technique and playing smart. That at times leads to some tentative play, which is what Brown wanted to unlock when he approached him about opening up more and taking more risks.
Spring was the time to do that as any passes that Fortune allows to be completed won’t count in the stat books, so it gives him a chance to assert himself more at the position.
Fortune took the advice.
“The more practice and reps I got, I was coming into my own,” he said.
More responsibility will be thrust onto Fortune’s shoulders this season with the departure of Dreshun Miller to Auburn and he understands that molding his game is a necessity.
“Even if I mess up just go out there and play. I took that into consideration and ever since then I’ve been out there playing ball,” he said. “I’ve given up some, but I’ve made plays so that definitely helped me out when we talked about it and gave me a confidence boost.”
Now, Fortune understands that there is a fine line between being aggressive and playing under control which has been something he already had a good idea about. Depending on the situation, he displays both approaches and managed to put together a strong second half of the spring.
Cornerback is a very mental position and when things don’t result in a favorable outcome, you have to quickly put that behind you and move onto the next play. That isn’t always easy when you give up a deep ball or a touchdown, but it’s a necessity in order to be effective at that position.
“You’ve got to learn to let that go and go onto the next,” he said.
Fortune is learning to forget and playing with an edge in the process. It’s exactly what the Mountaineers want out of him as he settles into his role as the top cornerback on the roster.
“I know the type of player I am. Me being in my zone that makes Nicktroy a different person,” he said.
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