MORGANTOWN - When West Virginia holds its first practice of the season this afternoon, the roster of defensive linemen will remain a bit fluid.
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
MORGANTOWN - When West Virginia holds its first practice of the season this afternoon, the roster of defensive linemen will remain a bit fluid.
Tevita Finau is out. That's a sure thing. And when players reported Friday, Pat Liebig's status was still up in the air.
Finau, the highly regarded Hawaiian defensive end from an Arizona junior college, won't be able to complete the requirements for his degree. West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said on Friday that Finau will remain in junior college to complete the four hours he needs and then is expected to enroll in January.
Liebig is the former WVU lineman who dropped out of school two years ago to help his family in Florida and is now petitioning for another year of eligibility. He has been in Morgantown working out this summer and has been cleared by the NCAA to practice, but has yet to receive a final ruling on his eligibility. Stewart had hoped to hear a decision by Friday, but now it appears as if it will be Monday.
In the event Liebig is ruled ineligible, Stewart said he plans to appeal.
"If they say no, we'll get the [Big East] conference involved. We'll get [Big East commissioner] Mike Tranghese involved,'' Stewart said. "The Big East has cleared him to play. It would be an injustice if he didn't have the opportunity.''
Liebig's issue is with his NCAA "clock.'' The organization stipulates that players have five years from the time they first enroll in which to complete four years of eligibility. Liebig first enrolled in January of 2003, played as a true freshman in 2003, redshirted in 2004 and then played what was his sophomore year of eligibility in 2005. He would have been a fourth-year junior in 2006 and a fifth-year senior in 2007, but chose to return to his home in Florida in 2006 because his father was ill and the family needed help running its business, an automobile dealership.
Liebig, who started one game as a freshman in 2003 and was the backup nose guard in 2005, saw his NCAA clock expire at the end of last season, even though he had not been enrolled in school for two years. The NCAA rarely grants sixth years, but when it does it is often because a player encountered circumstances that forced him to withdraw from school. Normally, that would be a devastating injury or, as is the case with Liebig, unusual personal circumstances.
Liebig is listed in the 2008 WVU media guide as 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds.
As for Finau, his road to West Virginia was just too academically rocky. He was trying to complete a two-year associates degree in just one year and couldn't do it. Stewart said Finau will complete his degree this fall and then enroll in January. But because he didn't enroll this fall, Finau's letter of intent no longer binds him to WVU, although there is no immediate reason to believe he will change his mind.
"He just couldn't graduate. It's tough. He was basically trying to complete 19 hours a semester,'' Stewart said. "But in truth, he would have been a bonus. You don't get many junior college kids with three years of eligibility.''
While Finau was highly regarded, Stewart downplayed his absence this fall, saying it would have been difficult for him to become acclimated to Division I football and contribute right off the bat after just one year of junior college.
"He wasn't going to beat out Scooter Berry and Pat Liebig anyway,'' Stewart said. "The thing that hurts is that it would have been nice to have gotten him in here and gotten him started.''
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Liebig and Finau were not, of course, the only question marks heading into camp. Several others have been answered, too.
Terence Kerns, the big prep school running back who recently qualified academically, has also gotten full clearance from the NCAA Clearinghouse, Stewart said.
"There are no more questions with Terence,'' Stewart said. "He's here and he's good to go.''
By Dave Hickman
Staff writer
MORGANTOWN - When West Virginia holds its first practice of the season this afternoon, the roster of defensive linemen will remain a bit fluid.
Tevita Finau is out. That's a sure thing. And when players reported Friday, Pat Liebig's status was still up in the air.
Finau, the highly regarded Hawaiian defensive end from an Arizona junior college, won't be able to complete the requirements for his degree. West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said on Friday that Finau will remain in junior college to complete the four hours he needs and then is expected to enroll in January.
Liebig is the former WVU lineman who dropped out of school two years ago to help his family in Florida and is now petitioning for another year of eligibility. He has been in Morgantown working out this summer and has been cleared by the NCAA to practice, but has yet to receive a final ruling on his eligibility. Stewart had hoped to hear a decision by Friday, but now it appears as if it will be Monday.
In the event Liebig is ruled ineligible, Stewart said he plans to appeal.
"If they say no, we'll get the [Big East] conference involved. We'll get [Big East commissioner] Mike Tranghese involved,'' Stewart said. "The Big East has cleared him to play. It would be an injustice if he didn't have the opportunity.''
Liebig's issue is with his NCAA "clock.'' The organization stipulates that players have five years from the time they first enroll in which to complete four years of eligibility. Liebig first enrolled in January of 2003, played as a true freshman in 2003, redshirted in 2004 and then played what was his sophomore year of eligibility in 2005. He would have been a fourth-year junior in 2006 and a fifth-year senior in 2007, but chose to return to his home in Florida in 2006 because his father was ill and the family needed help running its business, an automobile dealership.
Liebig, who started one game as a freshman in 2003 and was the backup nose guard in 2005, saw his NCAA clock expire at the end of last season, even though he had not been enrolled in school for two years. The NCAA rarely grants sixth years, but when it does it is often because a player encountered circumstances that forced him to withdraw from school. Normally, that would be a devastating injury or, as is the case with Liebig, unusual personal circumstances.
Liebig is listed in the 2008 WVU media guide as 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds.
As for Finau, his road to West Virginia was just too academically rocky. He was trying to complete a two-year associates degree in just one year and couldn't do it. Stewart said Finau will complete his degree this fall and then enroll in January. But because he didn't enroll this fall, Finau's letter of intent no longer binds him to WVU, although there is no immediate reason to believe he will change his mind.
"He just couldn't graduate. It's tough. He was basically trying to complete 19 hours a semester,'' Stewart said. "But in truth, he would have been a bonus. You don't get many junior college kids with three years of eligibility.''
While Finau was highly regarded, Stewart downplayed his absence this fall, saying it would have been difficult for him to become acclimated to Division I football and contribute right off the bat after just one year of junior college.
"He wasn't going to beat out Scooter Berry and Pat Liebig anyway,'' Stewart said. "The thing that hurts is that it would have been nice to have gotten him in here and gotten him started.''
nn
Liebig and Finau were not, of course, the only question marks heading into camp. Several others have been answered, too.
Terence Kerns, the big prep school running back who recently qualified academically, has also gotten full clearance from the NCAA Clearinghouse, Stewart said.
"There are no more questions with Terence,'' Stewart said. "He's here and he's good to go.''
Freshman kicker Tyler Bitancurt also qualified academically and reported to camp. Stewart had earlier indicated that Bitancurt's questionable status - combined with the presence of veteran kicker Pat McAfee - might lead him to delay enrollment until January to preserve a year of eligibility.
A handful of others, however, were late drops from the roster, including athletic freshman J.J. Dorsey. Dorsey was in Morgantown for a while in July working out with the team, but left several weeks ago because of homesickness, Stewart said. He was still expected to return, but was not approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Corey Freeman, a defensive lineman from Cleveland who was not expected to be academically eligible, was also vetoed by the Clearinghouse, although both players could have appealed and perhaps won their eligibility. Stewart, though, doesn't want those cases lingering through preseason camp.
"I'm not waiting 14 days to see if guys are eligible,'' Stewart said. "If they're not here on Aug. 1 they're not coming.''
Bernard Smith, another defensive lineman, also didn't make the grade and is expected to go to prep school. Defensive back Jerome Swinton was long ago deemed an academic long shot and didn't qualify. Defensive lineman Chris Palmer is delaying enrollment until January to rehabilitate a shoulder injury.
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Quarterback Pat White met with athletic director Ed Pastilong Friday to discuss White's remarks earlier this week about why he didn't join the WVU baseball team.
At Big East media day in Newport, R.I., Tuesday, White said he didn't play baseball in part because coach Greg Van Zant had no blacks on the team and is "not too high on it.''
"I have spoken to Pat regarding his comments earlier this week. We had a good discussion of the issues surrounding college baseball and our baseball program,'' Pastilong said in a statement released by the school. "I continue to have great admiration for him as a quality young man.
"Greg Van Zant has dedicated 13 years to WVU as head baseball coach. He has accomplished a great deal for the program during that time and continues to have my support as an outstanding leader."
Stewart said Friday that White plans to meet with Van Zant when the coach returns from a current trip.
Briefly
Devon Lyons, the brother of Wes Lyons, is enrolled and ready to begin practice today. Devon Lyons transferred from Ohio State and won an appeal to the NCAA for immediate eligibility. Both brothers are wide receivers. Devon has just one year of eligibility remaining.
NCAA rules allow 105 players in camp prior to the start of classes and 103 reported to WVU Friday. The absentees were one invited walk-on and a late signee, D.J. Thomas. Thomas, a defensive back and/or slot receiver who was originally signed by Virginia Tech in 2007, spent last season at Hargrave Military. He is expected in camp Monday after he finishes his last class at Hargrave and his eligibility doesn't seem to be in question.
Thomas didn't play football at Hargrave, instead sitting out the season to rehabilitate a knee injury he suffered in a Virginia high school all-star game last summer.
One player who did show up Friday did so just as an observer. Hawaiian lineman Benji Kemoeatu was on the mainland and in the area visiting his brother, who plays for the Steelers. Kemoeatu committed to WVU, but isn't academically eligible and is expected to attend junior college this fall.
Stewart also said that there are virtually no academic issues to be resolved with the holdover members of the team. He said backup linebacker Archie Sims has one incomplete to address before he is eligible.
"This is the best academic shape we've ever been in,'' Stewart said.
Reach Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
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Good luck with that after the way the fans treated Rod and now with another resignation coach Rod is starting to look like the winner and WVU corrupt beyond repair. Even Pat White is taking the school down.