WVU has pair battling it out at right tackle

West Virginia has had difficulty finding depth at the tackle positions in recent years but this fall the Mountaineers are finding it hard to see exactly where the pieces fit into the picture.

While redshirt freshman Yodny Cajuste is all be cemented on the left side, the opposite end of the line has seen quite the ongoing position battle between redshirt junior Marcell Lazard and redshirt freshman Colton McKivitz. Both players are vying for the starting spot and it’s a competition that has been created as both players have risen their levels of play throughout the course of camp.

“Which is what you’re after. You want that competition. We want to develop as many of those battles as we possibly can,” head coach Dana Holgorsen said.

Lazard is the most experienced option of the two and was thrust into the starting lineup last season after the shuffling that occurred when Cajuste went down with a foot injury. The New Jersey native started a total of six games on the right side and has only continued to improve this fall.

That has only been aided by the work that not only offensive line coach Ron Crook is providing but new offensive coordinator and renowned offensive line coach Joe Wickline has done with the tackles.

“He’s getting better at what he does and is bringing his game forward. We worked on a few things on him and he’s adjusting and buying in. Because of that he’s staying in blocks more and getting in front of people,” Wickline said.

Holgorsen echoed those comments and said that Lazard has taken major strides this fall and he is better than he was last season so this is a slam dunk, right? Anything but. While Lazard did come out with the first team during the scrimmage, McKivitz is doing his best to make this interesting.

Unlike Lazard, McKivitz does not have the crutch of in-game experience to lean on but what he does have is a skill set that has the coaches excited for his future development. A former basketball player, McKivitz has fast-tracked his development since arriving on campus last season and has added the strength to his frame in order to be in the mix for the starting spot.

“He is smart and probably a little ahead of the curve right now for his youth,” Holgorsen said.

It’s a race that’s hard to handicap at this stage because both have been playing at such a high level throughout camp. It’s also one that could linger well into the season, according to Crook.

But one thing West Virginia is doing is preparing McKivitz to learn both sides of the offense so he can serve as the swing tackle that the Mountaineers have wanted in past years.

“He’s athletic, he understands the game and he has a passion to improve. But I could say the same thing about Marcell. They’re excited about playing football and now it’s about developing confidence,” Crook said. “Now it’s about getting them to do the things we’re asking them to do.”

It’s an age old battle of youth vs. experience but both players have made each other better throughout camp. Wickline believes that McKivitz has a bright future as well.

“I think he’s going to be a really good one. I think that in time, he could be considered a starting tackle,” Wickline said.

Lazard is fighting to make sure that doesn’t happen sooner rather than later.