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Who are 3 newcomers to watch for fall camp?
I’m going to avoid transfers here because that just makes this too easy since many of them were recruited to play immediately. But out of the true freshmen, my picks here would be Ric’Darious Farmer at wide receiver, Zae Jennings at spear and defensive lineman Nate Gabriel.
Farmer is going to see time from the jump at the inside wide receiver spot and the coaches have already discussed that they will be finding ways to get him the football with his dynamic playmaking ability. He is a player that the Mountaineers could use both throwing the ball to or giving it to him on designed run plays so there should be a clear pathway for a role this coming season.
Jennings spent the spring with the Mountaineers and is going to play a role on defense as well as special teams at the spear position. It’s unclear how defined that will be at first, but his future with the program will be bright as he has made waves since arriving on campus.
Gabriel is my third pick and while this could be Elijah Kinsler or Obinna Onwuka, I think that the Mountaineers are going to need to try to squeeze some snaps out of him and after arriving in the spring he should be ready to provide it when needed.
Will WVU have a 1,000 yard rusher in 2024?
I would be surprised at this point if there wasn’t one although much like last season some of these options are going to cannibalize themselves. West Virginia had three players with at least 770 yards on the ground last year, so that isn’t that major of a leap to expect at least one of them to hit that mark when you consider that every single one of those players missed time a season ago. This was the top rushing offense in Power Four football last season, and I expect you will see them remain plenty productive on the ground in 2024. Barring injuries even with the competition I think this occurs.
Prediction on number of receptions by Kole Taylor?
Taylor finished last season with 35 receptions, the first time that a tight end has led West Virginia in receptions since 1991 when Alex Shook had the honors. But now a year more mature in the system the expectation should be that Taylor takes a step forward. I think that happens, but in terms of production, it would be surprising to me if he is at the top of the team in receptions again with the wide receiver room a year older and with more options out of the transfer portal.
However, if quarterback Garrett Greene is indeed more accurate and efficient that should lead to more opportunities for all involved in the passing game. I think a good starting point would be 35 for next year and depending on how efficient this offense ends up being it will dictate how likely he is to hit that target mark.
How are our offseason rehabs doing?
Outside defensive lineman Corey McIntyre who isn’t expected to suit up this season, all of the other players are in the mix to return and are on track this season. The majority of them that missed the spring are all expected back in time for fall camp with the exception of cornerback Jacolby Spells who is likely not going to be back until later in the fall or early in the 2024 season.
J. Anderson? Will he be solid this year as our third back? He’s been up and down during his time here so far (part of it was an injury/catching up). Does he put it more together this year?
The problem with Anderson has never been his talent. He had a long list of scholarship offers out of high school and has flashed that ability in games, notably the season finale against Oklahoma State in 2022. But he struggled to really continue that level of play and took a step back this past year.
The encouraging part is that Anderson has a very strong relationship with offensive coordinator Chad Scott, who recruited him out of high school and there was transparency from the jump. Anderson knew that he didn’t play well last year and he wasn’t displaying the consistency in practice that is necessary for him to be trusted with opportunities in games.
The opportunity there also is a dangling carrot and Anderson was playing fast in the spring while showing a focus level that has escaped him earlier in his career. Now, none of that matters if he doesn’t keep it up but there was optimism in the spring that it was the best he had looked and with only two freshmen blocking his bath the chance to win that third job is within reach.
Any word on how the coaches are liking the freshman backs? Thoughts on them this season. Help when needed if/when the top 3 get banged up?
The good news is that running back is one of the easiest positions to get on the field early in your career as long as you can prove capable in the realm of pass blocking. I’ll get a better idea of where they stand there in the fall and if the coaching staff can trust them, but there is no question that both of them can help when it comes to simply taking a handoff and making things happen. Now, let me make it clear there is a lot more to it than that but they’re both more than capable.
Hubbard rushed for 1,883 yards as a senior with 28 touchdowns to lead the conference and was a two-time all-state selection along with being named two-time Central District Player of the Year. While Dunbar rushed for 3,062 yards on the season, becoming only the second player in state history to achieve that feat while being named Class AAAA All-State First-Team by the South Carolina Football Coaches Association and Region IV 4A Offensive Player of the Year.
Both of these running backs were handpicked by Scott and if anything he has proven that as long as they can handle the jump he isn’t afraid to give them the opportunity.
How is he planning to fix some of the issues on special teams, particularly kick coverage, to keep us from putting ourselves in an unnecessary hole?
One of the biggest issues there was due to injuries there was a lack of those mid-skill bodies on the roster and moving players around caused some issues to the unit overall. That has been addressed with adding more talent in the running back, tight end and linebacker rooms.
But there were also issues that the coaches believed could be adjusted from a teaching perspective in order to get the team to play faster. That is the goal of any special teams unit as there is a balance between being prepared but not overthinking things to the point where it affects the level of play. That meant placing an emphasis on drill work including Mountaineer Techniques which focused on eight to nine different movements that are common on special teams such as defeating blocks, avoiding blocks and making blocks among other fundamentals.
That’s because in the end the cover units have to avoid and defeat blocks before finishing the play with a tackle, while the return units have to create contact and make blocks in order to give the returners a chance to make something happen with the ball in their hands.
Breaking things down into smaller groups in a circuit allows players to work on many different things at once depending on the players. Those groups include timing up their approach with the kicker, full-speed reps on how to avoid a block down the field and tackling in closed spaces for example.
But instead of the risk of live special teams reps, they are done in controlled settings, but players can still get the benefit of full-speed technique work. That has been a primary focus to ensure that things are going to improve heading into the 2024 season in that area.
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