MORGANTOWN - For the most part, Dana Holgorsen has inherited a West Virginia football team with all the pieces either in place or ready to be positioned.
MORGANTOWN - For the most part, Dana Holgorsen has inherited a West Virginia football team with all the pieces either in place or ready to be positioned.
On offense he has his quarterback, a fairly deep stable of receivers and a rather eclectic mix of talent from which to choose his running backs.
On defense he has just enough experience and young talent that he can turn to defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and expect a solid unit.
There's one position, though, with far more questions than answers. It's the offensive line.
Two of last year's starters, tackles Don Barclay and Jeff Braun, missed all of spring drills after going through shoulder surgery. Starting left guard Josh Jenkins injured a knee in the spring game and his availability for the season remains in doubt. Right guard Eric Jobe graduated and center Joe Madsen is coming off of an academic suspension that forced him to miss last season's bowl game.
And this from an offensive line that, relative to the rest of the team, just wasn't that good last season anyway.
Still, there is hope, some of which was born of the improvement of some young players in the spring and some in the training room, where at least two of the three injured linemen appear to be doing well.
Barclay and Braun are right on schedule to be ready when fall camp opens in early August.
"Jeff Braun and Don Barclay are in month five of six-month progressions,'' WVU trainer Dave Kerns said Monday. "They're doing everything in progression [in the weight room] except no overhead press.''
When the two return and begin working out in August, though, Braun is likely to have a new position. He expects to be moved from right tackle to guard, perhaps the left guard spot if Jenkins isn't ready to go.
"The season before [last] I played guard and center. And then when Selvish [Capers] graduated, I just wanted to play and they asked me to move to tackle,'' Braun said. "I think I'm more of a natural guard anyway. When coach [Bill] Bedenbaugh got here, as soon as he saw me he said, 'You play guard, right?' And I said, 'No, I played tackle last year.' ''
MORGANTOWN - For the most part, Dana Holgorsen has inherited a West Virginia football team with all the pieces either in place or ready to be positioned.
On offense he has his quarterback, a fairly deep stable of receivers and a rather eclectic mix of talent from which to choose his running backs.
On defense he has just enough experience and young talent that he can turn to defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and expect a solid unit.
There's one position, though, with far more questions than answers. It's the offensive line.
Two of last year's starters, tackles Don Barclay and Jeff Braun, missed all of spring drills after going through shoulder surgery. Starting left guard Josh Jenkins injured a knee in the spring game and his availability for the season remains in doubt. Right guard Eric Jobe graduated and center Joe Madsen is coming off of an academic suspension that forced him to miss last season's bowl game.
And this from an offensive line that, relative to the rest of the team, just wasn't that good last season anyway.
Still, there is hope, some of which was born of the improvement of some young players in the spring and some in the training room, where at least two of the three injured linemen appear to be doing well.
Barclay and Braun are right on schedule to be ready when fall camp opens in early August.
"Jeff Braun and Don Barclay are in month five of six-month progressions,'' WVU trainer Dave Kerns said Monday. "They're doing everything in progression [in the weight room] except no overhead press.''
When the two return and begin working out in August, though, Braun is likely to have a new position. He expects to be moved from right tackle to guard, perhaps the left guard spot if Jenkins isn't ready to go.
"The season before [last] I played guard and center. And then when Selvish [Capers] graduated, I just wanted to play and they asked me to move to tackle,'' Braun said. "I think I'm more of a natural guard anyway. When coach [Bill] Bedenbaugh got here, as soon as he saw me he said, 'You play guard, right?' And I said, 'No, I played tackle last year.' ''
That's likely to change back to guard when the dust settles. Braun, at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, is built more like a sturdy guard than a rangy tackle. When he and Barclay both missed spring drills, it forced the coaching staff to look into other tackle possibilities.
In guys like redshirt freshman Quinton Spain and redshirt sophomore Pat Eger, they may have been found.
"I think what helps is the development of the younger guys,'' Braun said. "With Pat and Spain and all of them [being a year older], it gives us more things we can do, moving me around.''
The logical first move, if there is one, would be to begin plugging Braun into Jenkins' spot in case Jenkins isn't able to play. Kerns on Monday said that Jenkins' MCL is healed, but that is far from the only issue.
"Josh Jenkins' MCL is healed and now he needs to build strength back in his leg,'' Kerns said. "[But] the patella issue is still unresolved.''
As is the makeup of the offensive line.
"He's down there working out in the weight room, but he's not using his one leg,'' Braun said. "Beyond that, we really don't know what's going on.''
BRIEFLY: Kerns also on Monday updated the status of wide receiver Brad Starks, who missed the last two weeks of spring drills when he injured his shoulder and underwent surgery. Kerns said Starks will have a screw removed June 21 and then "progress his activity levels slowly.''Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
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