WVU coaches have some interesting decisions to make at RB
The West Virginia coaches will sit down Saturday with six days of film to review from fall camp.
During that session, the first real conversations will begin on the process of sorting out which players can help this coming season and what others might be best suited to be slapped with a redshirt.
It’s not likely any decisions will be made but that proposition could prove to be quite the difficult one when it comes to sorting out the Mountaineers running back room.
To somewhat reference a popular hip-hop song, there’s 99-problems heading into fall camp but talent, or depth for that matter, at that position certainly isn’t one.
West Virginia has five capable running backs in the room and each of them have put together strong camps to date, according to offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.
“There’s five guys that can play for us right now and they’re all trying to elevate their play,” he said. “The whole room is very talented and very competitive.”
By now everybody knows about senior Justin Crawford and what he can do on the football field. The leading returning rusher in the Big 12, Crawford eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in his first season and averaged over seven-yards per tote while serving in a four-way time share.
And really the same can be said with his two backups sophomores Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway, who both stepped in a various times last season and proved their worth. Those two have only continued to build to their overall game in the off-season and running backs coach Tony Dews has been impressed with the work that they’ve also put in with the strength and conditioning staff.
McKoy finished 2016 with 472 yards and four scores, while Pettaway appeared in only three games due to being thrust into the lineup at the end of the season but still managed to 260 yards and a touchdown.
It doesn’t end there. While the depth in front of them could keep them off the field, freshmen Tevin Bush and Alec Sinkfield aren’t going down without a fight.
Bush, while diminutive at only 5-foot-5, is an electric option that excels not only in the backfield but as a wide receiver in the slot. The Louisiana native arrived in Morgantown during the spring and has fought and clawed for every ounce of respect that he has earned.
In fact, don’t let his size fool you.
“Coach Dews believes he’s one of the tougher guys that has ever been in that room,” Spavital said.
A change-of-pace style of running back, Bush has shown speed as well as quickness once he gets into the open field.
“You can’t see him half the time but then he shoots out of the pile and is rolling,” Spavital added.
Sinkfield didn’t arrive to West Virginia until the summer but also has shown some positive things on the field such as great vision and hitting the hole when he sees it during a recent team run.
The Florida native as a good feel for the game and understands how plays work and what he needs to do on each given down, but again he’s a freshman and fall camp is still early.
Spavital expects to find out a lot more about the running backs in the coming days when full pads are strapped on to get an idea of where the youngsters can fit into the mix with the veterans.
Dews has already said that his decisions on who plays and how the reps will be distributed will be largely based off performance. So there are chances for newcomers to make a play, but it won't be an easy task.
"Again, I think it’ll be built based on what they’ve done through camp and the week of practice leading up," Dews said.
And while Spavital isn’t sure where those two will fall into things once the season begins, for now they’re in the mix and that’s a good problem to have.
“I think I’m going to have to get creative and find ways to get them the ball and get them touches because you’ve got some pretty good weapons in that backfield,” he said.
“It’s going to be fun,” he added.