WVU offense getting tight
The future is a bright one for the tight end in the West Virginia offense.
You simply don’t commit the resources to the position the way that the coaching staff has if you planned otherwise.
Prior to the start of fall camp, the Mountaineers added athletic Miami transfer Jovani Haskins to the roster, as well as receiving pair of scholarship pledges in the 2018 recruiting class to play tight end spot.
That’s a lot of talent incoming with tall, athletic pass-catching bodies that can also block. The idea is simple, West Virginia wants to get players on the field that can fill multiple roles and allow the offense to get into any set with the same personnel at all times.
That opens up the playbook in a number of ways and the tight end plays a big role there.
But it doesn’t happen overnight and getting those type of bodies into the program is no easy task. It simply takes time and effort to get those players in place.
For now, the coaching staff has to work with what they currently have on the roster – which while talented, leaves some concerns over depth at the position and just how much they scheme for it.
West Virginia currently has one scholarship tight end on the roster in redshirt junior Trevon Wesco, although redshirt senior Elijah Wellman can fill that role.
“If you what to get into where you’re using all these tight ends, when you only have one, I don’t know how much scheme you can do,” head coach Dana Holgorsen said.
Holgorsen did admit that West Virginia is trending that way on the recruiting trail, but that doesn’t help this year’s team in that department.
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital is a little more optimistic with the two tight ends he has in Wesco and Wellman, but even he realizes that injuries could force his hand to look at other things.
“If one goes down that will take out a few packages,” Spavital said.
Wesco has taken major steps in his development since even the spring after catching only one pass during his first year on campus. When Spavital discusses the offense with quarterback Will Grier, it is Wesco that has received praise due to the comfort level he has with the tight end.
“He’s playing with good weight and doing good things,” Spavital said. “You can tell Will is comfortable with him.”
Expressing confidence in the pair, Spavital believes that he can get what he wants out of the position as long as those two remain on the field but he also isn’t going to call plays just to highlight certain packages. Instead the focus will be on getting the best players on the field regardless of the look.
“I’d like to have all the packages but at the end of the day you have to play your best players,” he said.
And while that might put the breakout of the tight end position on hold, don’t expect it to stay that way for long as the Mountaineers continue to evolve on the offensive side of the ball.
Sometimes bigger is better.