MORGANTOWN - From the time he first showed up on West Virginia's recruiting radar, Robert Sands has been cause for double takes.

It was natural at first, of course. He was listed as a 6-foot-6 safety and, as everyone knows, no such animal exists in nature. Had to be a typo.

And in a way, it was.

"I think when they gave me that height, it was because my hair was twisted,'' Sands laughed, referring to the dreadlocks that were probably piled high on top of his head that day. "They gave me two inches.''

OK, so he's not a 6-6 safety. But he is 6-41/2, and even that would have drawn more than a few raised eyebrows.

But it wasn't until Sands actually showed up in Morgantown this summer and then began practicing with West Virginia's football team earlier this month that it became obvious that there is more to him than a that-has-to-be-a-mistake entry in the physical attributes line of his bio.

By the time the Mountaineers open the season a week from Saturday against Villanova, Sands could be in the starting lineup. If he's not, it seems only a matter of time.

"I'm not going to say I'm fully ready. There's lots of room for improvement,'' Sands said. "But right now I'm looking good. I just make a few mental mistakes.''

Those mistakes, it seems, are becoming rarer as the season approaches, which is why as classes began on Monday and practices were scaled back, Sands and redshirt freshman Eain Smith were almost neck and neck for the starting free safety job. Smith has the edge today because he's been in the program for a year.

But Sands is closing fast.

"We've got about 20 coverages in right now and his brains are a little scrambled,'' safeties coach Steve Dunlap said. "But he's really intelligent and a really mature kid. I'm just looking for consistency.''

If there was a point during preseason camp that alerted anyone in the vicinity that Sands was for real, it came early. It was during the first full-scale scrimmage just eight days in and Sands was playing free safety with the No. 2 defense. Another freshman, 240-pound Terence Kerns, was the tailback on offense.

Kerns, whose mantra admittedly is "Hit before being hit,'' took a handoff and found a rather gaping hole right in the middle of the line. He stepped through it and, suddenly, Sands was there.

It was natural at first, of course. He was listed as a 6-foot-6 safety and, as everyone knows, no such animal exists in nature. Had to be a typo.

And in a way, it was.

"I think when they gave me that height, it was because my hair was twisted,'' Sands laughed, referring to the dreadlocks that were probably piled high on top of his head that day. "They gave me two inches.''

OK, so he's not a 6-6 safety. But he is 6-41/2, and even that would have drawn more than a few raised eyebrows.

But it wasn't until Sands actually showed up in Morgantown this summer and then began practicing with West Virginia's football team earlier this month that it became obvious that there is more to him than a that-has-to-be-a-mistake entry in the physical attributes line of his bio.

By the time the Mountaineers open the season a week from Saturday against Villanova, Sands could be in the starting lineup. If he's not, it seems only a matter of time.

"I'm not going to say I'm fully ready. There's lots of room for improvement,'' Sands said. "But right now I'm looking good. I just make a few mental mistakes.''

Those mistakes, it seems, are becoming rarer as the season approaches, which is why as classes began on Monday and practices were scaled back, Sands and redshirt freshman Eain Smith were almost neck and neck for the starting free safety job. Smith has the edge today because he's been in the program for a year.

But Sands is closing fast.

"We've got about 20 coverages in right now and his brains are a little scrambled,'' safeties coach Steve Dunlap said. "But he's really intelligent and a really mature kid. I'm just looking for consistency.''

If there was a point during preseason camp that alerted anyone in the vicinity that Sands was for real, it came early. It was during the first full-scale scrimmage just eight days in and Sands was playing free safety with the No. 2 defense. Another freshman, 240-pound Terence Kerns, was the tailback on offense.

Kerns, whose mantra admittedly is "Hit before being hit,'' took a handoff and found a rather gaping hole right in the middle of the line. He stepped through it and, suddenly, Sands was there.

It was a clinic tackle, in both form and sound.

"That was good,'' Kerns admitted later. "That woke me up.''

For Sands, it was all in a day's work.

"He outweighs me by about 40 pounds,'' Sands said. "He's what, 240? I'm no more than 205 on a good day. I got a good lick on him, that's all.

 "In high school, I was used to playing in the box. I'm used to taking on big backs like that. It wasn't a big deal. I just had to make sure I made the open-field tackle. He's a big boy, but you just have to get low and dive through.''

Sands stood over Kerns for a moment, but there was no outward celebration.

"I wasn't trying to gloat or anything,'' Sands said. "I made the play and I just need to get back and make the next one. You can't live in the past. You have to be prepared for the next play.''

Sands made it from Miami to West Virginia because of Doc Holliday, who was recruiting him to Florida when Holliday was hired away by West Virginia. Florida never really offered him a scholarship, instead telling him that he was on the list if this guy or that one didn't jump on board. In truth, his decision came down to West Virginia and Pitt. He was ready to commit to Pitt until Holliday was hired at WVU in mid-January, only a few weeks before the signing date.

He chose West Virginia because on his recruiting visit, he sat down and watched a ton of film, with Holiday and the defensive coaches showing him how WVU's 3-3-5 defense works and the role that three safeties play in it. Oh, and it might also have been mentioned in passing that most of those safeties last year were about to graduate.

"That was real appealing,'' Sands said.  "I knew I'd have a chance to get on the field because I had three positions I could learn to play.''

His chance could come right off the bat. Again, if Sands isn't the No. 1 free safety by the opener, he'll be No. 1-A. And when he gets his chance, watch out.

"I like how they turn us loose back there to be free hitters back there sometimes,'' Sands said. "I really like that a lot.''

Reach staff writer Dave Hickman at 348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.