WVU Camp Storylines: Revisited

Before the start of fall camp WVSports.com made a list of five storylines to follow throughout the two weeks. Now with camp closed, we go back and look at each of those and what we learned.

1-- Defensive line depth

This was one of my biggest storylines entering fall camp and things didn’t get better at the start as it was revealed that West Virginia will be without redshirt sophomore Jaleel Fields for the entire season and redshirt junior Xavier Pegues until at least late October. The Mountaineers have a great first team unit with three seniors but the coaching staff has expressed extreme confidence in the second team as well.

Redshirt junior Jon Lewis has proven to be more than capable at one end, while redshirt freshman Adam Shuler is a rising star according to those around the program. The biggest concern is behind Darrien Howard at nose guard, but Alec Shriner has proven he can provide snaps. Behind those six true freshman defensive end Reese Donahue will play and there is always the possibility of inserting Jeffery Pooler in as well.

Constantly cited as one of the strengths of the defense throughout camp the defensive line appears ready. This unit can go at least eight deep right now, but any possible injuries could turn this into a tough situation for the Mountaineers until Pegues is back on the field. So while the depth is still somewhat of a question mark, I do feel better about this group than I did coming into camp.

2-- Cornerback position

This unit still has almost as many questions on who will start as it did before the start of camp but like the defensive line, the cornerbacks have proven themselves up to the challenge. West Virginia has at least four players that will definitely fit into the picture this fall in seniors Rasul Douglas, Antonio Crawford, Maurice Fleming and Nana Kyeremeh while a pair of junior college prospects in Mike Daniels and Elijah Battle are there to provide even more depth.

Talk within the program is that Douglas and Crawford will likely emerge as the starters, but Fleming is going to play a lot and is still pushing for one of those two starting roles. Regardless who does start all of them will play and the thing that I left camp with is that they displayed the ability to successfully hold up in man coverage against even the talented wide receivers that West Virginia has at its disposal.

It’s hard to replace proven talents such as Terrell Chestnut and Daryl Worley, but I did walk away from camp with the arrow pointing up here.

3-- Kicking game

Redshirt senior Josh Lambert won’t kick for the first three games due to a suspension but speaking with the coaching staff there is a lot of confidence in redshirt junior Mike Molina as at least a placeholder, if not more. Molina isn’t the biggest guy but has a very powerful leg and connected on three of four kicks during the open scrimmage. Coordinator Mark Scott said that his comfortable range is anywhere between 45-48 yards at this stage and while the assumption is that Lambert will assume his duties come game four, Molina will be given a chance to impress when called upon.

Punter is the position I walked away with still wondering exactly how things will unfold. Right now it’s a two-man race with former walk-on sophomore Billy Kinney and the heralded freshman Jonn Young. Between the two, Kinney has the experience and understanding of where to go with the ball in regards to the coverage teams while Young is possibly the most talented specialist on the roster.

The good news is that these two have pushed each other quite a bit and whoever does win the job, the leash won’t be too long. The narrow is pointing up in terms of confidence in the unit but I still want to see it in a real game.

4-- Offensive consistency

With so much experience and so much talent spread throughout the West Virginia offense the biggest question with this unit is if they were going to be able to do it on a consistent basis. Well, all reports from camp were great that the offense looked like a fine tuned machine getting the best of the relatively green defense as expected.

Senior Skyler Howard threw the ball with confidence and had the unit moving and scoring touchdowns. But that just wasn’t the case in the open scrimmage for media members. The offense had an uncharacteristically bad day and wasn’t able to generate anything against an aggressive, swarming Mountaineers defense.

Now this will happen in camp given the ebbs and flows of going against the same people on a daily basis but it did little to ease the concerns that some have about the unit being able to consistently move the ball. Don’t get me wrong I’m not placing too much on a situational scrimmage, but this group will need to prove it against a Missouri defense that will present its challenges.

I do believe that the scrimmage was an off day for the offense, nothing more, but this group has to go from talking about it to doing it.

5-- Newcomers

Newcomers were my final storyline to follow and we got our answers on which ones were going to factor onto the field this fall. No surprise that junior Kyzir White has been named the starting SPUR, while junior running back Justin Crawford has been one that has impressed throughout the course of fall camp. Those two will see the field.

True freshman Brendan Ferns also was well on his way to living up to his billing before an ACL injury sidelined him for the year. Sophomore Toyous Avery is going to play at free safety and the other two junior college cornerbacks Mike Daniels and Elijah Battle will have every opportunity to see the field as well.

When it comes to true freshmen, spring enrollees Reese Donahue and Kennedy McKoy are going to avoid redshirts, while Marcus Simms is currently on the borderline and a determination there has not been made. True freshman Steven Smothers is another that has made some dazzling plays but also struggled with the adjustment to college so a decision on redshirting him also remains up in the air heading into game week.

Two surprise players that will dress with the team and travel are true freshmen Adam Hensley and safety JoVanni Stewart with both expected to see work on special teams during their first season at least.

Given the depth and experience on the roster West Virginia won't need to count on every newcomer, but there will be some that will play and fit into significant roles.