MORGANTOWN - Were the season to start today, Dana Holgorsen would likely be comfortable naming just two starting wide receivers in his West Virginia offense.
MORGANTOWN - Were the season to start today, Dana Holgorsen would likely be comfortable naming just two starting wide receivers in his West Virginia offense.
"I think Stedman [Bailey] and Tavon [Austin] have established that they're pretty good,'' Holgorsen said Thursday.
That doesn't mean, however, that Bailey and Austin are the only ones who have stood out in WVU's nearly three weeks of practice. In fact, Holgorsen is to the point now where he seems as concerned with depth as he is with his starters.
"We're developing our eight [two deep at all four wideout positions] and I feel like we've got them,'' Holgorsen said. "But I want those second-team guys to beat out the first-team guys.''
The reality is that the competition at two of the Mountaineers' four receiver positions is so stiff that backups beating out starters is a distinct possibility. In fact, things are so tight that Holgorsen can't separate Ryan Nehlen and Ivan McCartney at one of the outside receiver spots, nor is there much difference between Tyler Urban and Devon Brown at one of the inside receiver positions.
"Ryan Nehlen and Sticks [McCartney] are battling,'' Holgorsen said. "About the time you think Sticks has got a little bit of the advantage, then Ryan comes back and has his best day since I've been here [Wednesday].''
The competition between Urban and Brown isn't quite the same because the two are so different physically. Urban is a 6-foot-5, 251-pound former tight end and Brown a 5-10, 188-pound transfer from Wake Forest. It's likely that they will play in situations, their opportunities dependent upon the need for a big or small receiver.
"They go back and forth,'' Holgorsen said. "They'll probably play pretty evenly.''
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Over on defense, Holgorsen pointed to the competition at linebacker. Two of the starters seem pretty clear cut - senior Najee Goode and sophomore Doug Rigg.
"We're really looking for backups more than anything,'' Holgorsen said.
MORGANTOWN - Were the season to start today, Dana Holgorsen would likely be comfortable naming just two starting wide receivers in his West Virginia offense.
"I think Stedman [Bailey] and Tavon [Austin] have established that they're pretty good,'' Holgorsen said Thursday.
That doesn't mean, however, that Bailey and Austin are the only ones who have stood out in WVU's nearly three weeks of practice. In fact, Holgorsen is to the point now where he seems as concerned with depth as he is with his starters.
"We're developing our eight [two deep at all four wideout positions] and I feel like we've got them,'' Holgorsen said. "But I want those second-team guys to beat out the first-team guys.''
The reality is that the competition at two of the Mountaineers' four receiver positions is so stiff that backups beating out starters is a distinct possibility. In fact, things are so tight that Holgorsen can't separate Ryan Nehlen and Ivan McCartney at one of the outside receiver spots, nor is there much difference between Tyler Urban and Devon Brown at one of the inside receiver positions.
"Ryan Nehlen and Sticks [McCartney] are battling,'' Holgorsen said. "About the time you think Sticks has got a little bit of the advantage, then Ryan comes back and has his best day since I've been here [Wednesday].''
The competition between Urban and Brown isn't quite the same because the two are so different physically. Urban is a 6-foot-5, 251-pound former tight end and Brown a 5-10, 188-pound transfer from Wake Forest. It's likely that they will play in situations, their opportunities dependent upon the need for a big or small receiver.
"They go back and forth,'' Holgorsen said. "They'll probably play pretty evenly.''
nnOver on defense, Holgorsen pointed to the competition at linebacker. Two of the starters seem pretty clear cut - senior Najee Goode and sophomore Doug Rigg.
"We're really looking for backups more than anything,'' Holgorsen said.
But there is a battle going on for the third linebacker spot between fifth-year senior Casey Vance and junior college transfer Josh Francis. The difference between the two is night and day. Vance is a 5-9, 222-pound, heretofore rather anonymous walk-on from Seneca Rocks who has built himself into a major-college football prospect. Francis is an athletic, 6-1, 221-pounder who wows with his speed.
"Casey Vance has been playing OK and you have a guy like Josh Francis behind him that is obviously way more talented,'' Holgorsen said. "But if he's not going in the right direction then you've got to play the other guy.''
Briefly
West Virginia won't really begin to prepare for its opening opponent, Marshall, until Sunday. Holgorsen says he hasn't really even peeked at the Herd more than in passing."I don't have any impressions of them whatsoever right now,'' Holgorsen said. "We've started to get some of the looks in practice, but we haven't talked about them at all. We'll gradually start easing into some film, but mainly it's just the looks in practice. I haven't studied their personnel whatsoever.''
When classes began Monday, West Virginia added about 10 more players to the roster in the form of walk-ons who played in the spring but were not among the 105 (the NCAA limit) invited to pre-classes camp. On Monday night, an open tryout for students drew about 80 participants and 10 more were added from that group."That will definitely help our numbers from a practicing standpoint and a scout team standpoint to get a few more kids on the roster,'' Holgorsen said.
None, though, have donned a pad yet. They have to go through the same acclimatization process the full team went through at the beginning of camp - five days in a progression of shorts, shells and then full pads before contact work can begin.
In other words, Holgorsen doesn't know if any of them can play.
"The 20 we have are still in shorts,'' Holgorsen said. "I know there's a few of them who threw up.''
Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or dphickm...@aol.com.
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