MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (March 28, 2019) – West Virginia University defensive assistant coaches met with the media on Thursday, March 28, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Defensive Coordinator Vic Koenning
On the Will and Spear positions
The Spear or nickel, whatever you want to call it, is probably a little bit more (defensive back) oriented toward the hybrid side of that. The Will is just based on who we are going against. If you are going against a team that wants to spread you out, wants to use three or four wide receivers, then the Will is a little more safety. If you talk to high school coaches – I’m not trying to make this a long answer – a lot of them have a strong safety that they want you to recruit, so it gives you a position where you can play those kind of guys. They are kind of a hybrid, safety, linebacker kind of guy. The Wills are on the other side of that. One plays the field, and one plays the boundary, that’s an easy way to figure that out. When you are going against tempo teams, and you are waiting for them to technically come out of a huddle before you make a call, and there is no huddle, that kind of becomes difficult. It’s like opening a refrigerator door, and there is nothing to eat, you better go somewhere and get something to eat. You got to figure out something else.
On if he calls the defense that he runs unique or if it is run by a lot of teams
It’s a little bit of a long story and where it came from. I can make it fairly short. We do a lot of principles, probably a little bit more than a lot of people do. There are some stuff that is 4-3-ish in it. There’s a lot of things that are odd stack-ish in it. Though we may not line up exactly, but some of the concepts and principles go back to that. It’s probably more 4-2-5-ish. It’s kind of a way of marrying a 4-2-5 odd and stack 3-4. Those of you all that understand football, an odd stack, when you get to a 3-by-1, it’s a 3-4. If you play a 3-4 and get to a 3-by-1 on them, then they have to go to an odd stack. It’s a way to adjust. That’s just the way it is. Over the years, there are some things from each system that I kind of like. We doctored some stuff up over the years to fit our players. That’s why I was so vague at the beginning with what we were going to run. Well, we had to see what we had, and then we geared our system toward that. I am already starting to see a little bit of things that makes me think we are going to be a little bit more of a 3-4-ish, but time will tell. We still have some opportunities to maybe get a guy. We have a couple scholarships left, but we’ll see how things go and how some guys develop as spring wears on.
On using a 3-4 defense
There’s a lot more linebackers here and not as many (defensive) linemen. We are trying to use the guys on our team with what best suits them. There are a whole lot of guys that are from 225 to 235, and there’s not enough defensive linemen.
On what he’s going to do when playing teams with power
That is a concern. I think, right now, just looking at our schedule this coming year, there’s going to be at least three teams that are going to be playing 12 personnel and 21 personnel. There probably will be times where we may take out a hybrid guy and put a bigger guy in. Right now, we’re just trying to get the basics, the fundamentals and the concepts. We really would like for every guy on the defense to really have about five things that they really have to learn what to do; (they need to be) really good at those five things, technique-wise. Then, what we can do is mix and match when they do it based on our call system.
On if he can provide examples
We talked about the Spear and the Will. Their techniques are almost exactly the same, so they’re going to carry two down the middle. They’re going to play outside of two and bang him and go to one, or they’re going to read three and drop to the curl and take whoever comes out. That’s their basics – or they’re going to play two man-to-man, so that’s four. You may have to start to get into down-and-distance specifics to get other stuff but those are the basic things they need to learn what to do. We’re trying to get as good as we can with those things before we get to the next things.
On having to keep players moving when facing bigger teams
It depends. If you’re athletic enough do that, yes sir. If not, you just get in the gap or try to get in the gap and hang on. My first coaching job, I worked for a guy named Charlie Bailey. I’ll never forget Coach Bailey said the key to coaching defense is to get your bad players to use up all the blockers, so your good players can make the plays. That sounds simplistic, but there’s some truth to that, as well. We want to force double teams. We want to make sure we dictate the blocking schemes as much as we can. My first full-time job was working for a guy named Joe Lee Dunn, and his reputation was blitz, blitz, blitz, blitz, blitz, all the time. That would be fun. I would like to bring pressure, bring five or more, 25 to 30 percent of the time, but with the way offenses are now, they’re throwing the ball in 2.6 seconds. You can be wide open and not get there. I just happened to be eating the other day in the cafeteria and heard them talking about why draft a defensive end when Tom Brady’s going to throw the ball before he can get there? I was going, ‘Yeah, I understand that.’ You have to be able to cover first and force teams to do those things. We watched the bowl game really for the first time yesterday or the day before, and we blitzed more in the bowl game than we had all year, but we dropped guys out and got underneath their hot routes, because I knew they would try to throw hot. I knew, based on game plan, what they were going to do, and we dropped guys into those holes, and we got that big quarterback from Buffalo moving a little bit, and it really only hurt us once. We wanted him moving, so he couldn’t just rocket fire. (Those are) just some examples.
On if he showed the current WVU players the Troy bowl game
No, it was just us. We were installing, so it was easier to show them – this was our coaches, it wasn’t players yet. It was just teaching the coaches on the staff, ‘Here’s what we’re trying to get out of this.’ We had done more of that in the bowl game than we had all season, so that was the best game, because I knew there were more snaps of that. It showed them what we’re trying to do.
On playing quarters coverage
We do play quarters, but it’s not as conventional quarters as some people. A lot of people call it palms, that’s Hayden Fry’s deal that came from way back (at) Iowa. All the Stoops brothers took it everywhere. I know the guy that was the head coach at Nebraska that’s at Youngstown (Bo Pelini), he’s got a version of it. There’s a lot of people that do it. It’s not a new deal. That’s been around for a long time. We’ve put our own wrinkles to it, so that we can play with what we call backstops. We really don’t want, especially in the spread offenses, it’s called spread because they want to use the field. It’s like when you’re growing up, if you’re playing ball, and you throw the ball to the batter, and he misses it, so the ball runs down the street, you’re going to get tired of playing ball pretty soon because you’re chasing the ball down the street all the time. We want to have backstops. We don’t want to see them running a stretch play or throwing a bubble screen and the ball is running around the edge all the time. When you start seeing that happening to us, then we have to do something different. We really don’t want teams to be able to spread. We want to make them go where we want them to do, if that makes sense.
On playing a lot of cover one
They were a one high and what they call a closed middle a lot. That’s what odd stack is. It’s a 3-5-3 or you blitz, so you play five under three deep, or you blitz, or you bring two guys and play a fire zone. I can draw all that stuff up, too.
On breaking habits
It started off a little bit. I think most of the habit breaking is mental, it’s not as much physical. I think the guys are doing a really good job, at least my guys, and I’d say all the defensive guys pretty much. I think they are really trying hard, and they have really done a good job all-in-all. When you sit back and get away from the day-to-day grind of it, I think it’s just a mental deal as far as, ‘Well, I was used to doing this. I had success, or I did this.’ I think some of it is just breaking that a little bit. I think our guys are really trying for the most part. I see a lot of progress. Again, it’s just like having your kids, and when you see them every day, you don’t see them grow. But you go to visit relatives that have kids, and their kids have grown a foot and you go, ‘Wow, you really grew.’ When you are with them every day, you don’t see the progress that they are actually making. You have to step back a little bit and not be too critical of yourself or them and the progress that they are really making.
On the athleticism of his players
They are who we have, and it really doesn’t (matter). I’m not trying to avoid answering this, it really doesn’t matter. They’re the guys we have, and we are going to make them the best, coach them, love them and get them as good as we can. Some of them can play, and some of them we have to get them to where they can play. That’s our jobs, and I’m ultimately responsible for the whole group, and I take that very serious and personal. It’s not just a football deal. I think the football part of it, and I know there’s been a lot of famous head coaches that have said this, that the football part of it is just a small part of it. We’re making boys to men or men to better men or however you want to do it. That part of it is much, much greater right now. That’s part of it. The football stuff comes easy. They love it when they go on the field. As coaches, that’s our favorite part of the day, as well. I’m not trying to avoid questions, they are the guys we have, so we’ll find out because W’s and L’s will come pretty soon. So, we’ll find out.
On how things are coming along with the language and terminology of the install
I think they are doing great. Again, I think the guys are trying hard. There are some of them that say, ‘Well, we did this, we did that, and I like doing that.’ Well, yeah, I like sitting back 25 yards reading the quarterback’s eyes. That was really easy and just running where the ball was. I’m just using an example of free safety. Heck yeah, that was simple. What was that Geico commercial? Where a caveman can do it. Yeah, I was just sitting back there in the middle of the field, 25 yards and go. So, now reading the receiver, if he goes out, I do this and if he goes in, I do this. That’s much more difficult, but that’s quarters coverage. That’s pattern match and reading, so that’s a little bit harder. Does that help? Some of the stuff is harder for them, but I really do think they are trying, obviously. We are all trying.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Jordan Lesley
On who is practicing where this spring
Well, at defensive end, we’re working (redshirt sophomore) Taijh Alston, (redshirt junior) Jeffery Pooler (Jr.), (redshirt senior) Quondarius Qualls, who is a position move, but I think it’s better for him, (redshirt freshman) Tavis Lee, who has, in four days, made some strides; he’s gotten a lot better, and (redshirt sophomore) Sam Cookman. At nose, we’re working (junior) Darius Stills, who, I think, so far has been one of the most impressive. He’s done a great job, but right on his heels is (redshirt senior) Brenon Thrift, who I have been happy with. Making strides behind him is (redshirt freshman) Tyrese Allen, who is also moving in our scheme from tackle into nose. I think that fits his skill set a little better. At three, there’s primarily three guys: (senior) Reese Donahue, (sophomore) Dante Stills, who has done a great job so far, and (redshirt senior) Stone Wolfley. So, those are the guys, primarily, we are working at those three positions – not necessarily in that order. When we got into pads, I started mixing and matching who is running with the two’s in with the one’s and then the three’s in with the one’s, down with the two’s and vice versa. I try to always get all three of those groups against good-on-good work, one’s with the (offensive) line, because I want to see them versus our best in who is ready to make plays.
On moving guys around the defensive line
I think one of the best things about our defense is we can interchange guys. So, where you have a tackle that primarily plays a three technique maybe has a little knack for playing a five technique in some situations. It gives you a lot of flexibility. So, yeah, we’ve started mixing and matching, and the more fronts we install, the more we get an idea of that. Sometimes our ends will bump in and play a little bit four wide to three technique on some things. Like I said, you get to see guys play a lot of different techniques, and you start to hone in on what they’re good at.
On the range of talent and personalities he has to work with
It’s easy for me because I always go back to my junior-college roots. At that level, your backgrounds are even more diverse and even more different, and every situation is extremely different. So, that’s something that I’m really accustomed to, and I like that. I think your move being diverse, whether it’s physically, mentally, it’s having different guys, different personalities that you try to find out how to mesh with each other. Our guys are doing a great job, I enjoy that. I think if you try to get all the same, it gets a little robotic sometimes, coaching the same type of guy every time. I think every guy has a different personality, and I like to have big personalities in that room. So, it’s a good mix of guys. I enjoy it.
Assistant Coach (Outside Linebackers) Al Pogue
On the passion of coaching
People don’t know this, but I used to be a teacher. I love working with kids. (I was a) special-ed teacher, I love working with kids and just having the opportunity to get out there and be around the game and still have some involvement in it. I tell the kids all the time, they need to enjoy this journey, and it’s an honor for me to help connect them to the next point in whatever they’re doing. We are going to work hard, so why not have fun when you work hard? And if they see that in me, hopefully it will transfer to them.
On the outside linebackers and body types
Spear and the Will linebackers, both of those, we ask those guys to do some of the exact same things, so that’s why we combine the two. The Will is, a lot of times, a little bit bigger safety-type of guy. The Spear, at times, is probably a little bit longer, corner-type of body. Again, because we may ask him to cover a little bit more man coverage. When we evaluate guys, that’s how we look at it.
On who will be seeing time at Spear linebacker
(Senior safety) JoVanni Stewart is one, (redshirt junior safety) Dante Bonamico, (redshirt freshmen safety) Kwantel Raines, those types of guys are Spears. At the Will, you have (sophomore linebacker) Josh Chandler, (redshirt senior safety) Deamonte Lindsay, (redshirt junior linebacker) Rashone Lusane, who we recently moved over. Those are normally our Will-type guys.
On the differences between Spear and Will linebackers
Again, if anything, if I had to put a distinct difference on it, we may ask the Spear guy to play a little bit more man coverage than more so the Will. At times, our Will has to actually get in the box and be a linebacker and rarely do we ask that out of our spears.
Assistant Coach (Inside Linebackers) Blake Seiler
On coordinating WVU’s special teams units
I’ve never been the full coordinator, but I’ve helped with special teams for a decade. At Kansas State, we had a long history of having very good special teams with Coach (Bill) Snyder. I’m excited about it. I’ve been a defensive coordinator before, so special teams coordinator is obviously a different side of the ball. But it’s good, and I think the players have really bought into it. Coach (Neal) Brown really emphasizes the value of special teams, and I think that that’s great. That’s what I’m used to from where I came from with Coach Snyder.
On the management style of being a special teams coordinator
You’re not just managing the defensive players, you’re managing offensive players. You have the whole team, the specialists included as well. I think, obviously, it takes a full staff to do that, and I like how Coach (Neal) Brown has structured it with every coach also having a lead role in the units as well and to have ownership in the staff as well.
On if being a special teams coordinator helps him get to know the full team
I think now is the time to do it, because you’re just coming out of season. You’re doing all the station drills, and so, you’re used to working with every player on the team. So, we haven’t really separated ourselves from that yet. I’m starting to learn all the faces and names, and now, I have to put numbers with them too. So, we’re getting there.
On which players can fill the bandit linebacker role
I feel confident about getting guys in the right spots, because I think it’s a smart group, it’s a blue-collar group. It’s a new position for them, so we’re still working on our pass-rush ability there to make those game-changing plays.
Defensive Coordinator Vic Koenning
On the Will and Spear positions
The Spear or nickel, whatever you want to call it, is probably a little bit more (defensive back) oriented toward the hybrid side of that. The Will is just based on who we are going against. If you are going against a team that wants to spread you out, wants to use three or four wide receivers, then the Will is a little more safety. If you talk to high school coaches – I’m not trying to make this a long answer – a lot of them have a strong safety that they want you to recruit, so it gives you a position where you can play those kind of guys. They are kind of a hybrid, safety, linebacker kind of guy. The Wills are on the other side of that. One plays the field, and one plays the boundary, that’s an easy way to figure that out. When you are going against tempo teams, and you are waiting for them to technically come out of a huddle before you make a call, and there is no huddle, that kind of becomes difficult. It’s like opening a refrigerator door, and there is nothing to eat, you better go somewhere and get something to eat. You got to figure out something else.
On if he calls the defense that he runs unique or if it is run by a lot of teams
It’s a little bit of a long story and where it came from. I can make it fairly short. We do a lot of principles, probably a little bit more than a lot of people do. There are some stuff that is 4-3-ish in it. There’s a lot of things that are odd stack-ish in it. Though we may not line up exactly, but some of the concepts and principles go back to that. It’s probably more 4-2-5-ish. It’s kind of a way of marrying a 4-2-5 odd and stack 3-4. Those of you all that understand football, an odd stack, when you get to a 3-by-1, it’s a 3-4. If you play a 3-4 and get to a 3-by-1 on them, then they have to go to an odd stack. It’s a way to adjust. That’s just the way it is. Over the years, there are some things from each system that I kind of like. We doctored some stuff up over the years to fit our players. That’s why I was so vague at the beginning with what we were going to run. Well, we had to see what we had, and then we geared our system toward that. I am already starting to see a little bit of things that makes me think we are going to be a little bit more of a 3-4-ish, but time will tell. We still have some opportunities to maybe get a guy. We have a couple scholarships left, but we’ll see how things go and how some guys develop as spring wears on.
On using a 3-4 defense
There’s a lot more linebackers here and not as many (defensive) linemen. We are trying to use the guys on our team with what best suits them. There are a whole lot of guys that are from 225 to 235, and there’s not enough defensive linemen.
On what he’s going to do when playing teams with power
That is a concern. I think, right now, just looking at our schedule this coming year, there’s going to be at least three teams that are going to be playing 12 personnel and 21 personnel. There probably will be times where we may take out a hybrid guy and put a bigger guy in. Right now, we’re just trying to get the basics, the fundamentals and the concepts. We really would like for every guy on the defense to really have about five things that they really have to learn what to do; (they need to be) really good at those five things, technique-wise. Then, what we can do is mix and match when they do it based on our call system.
On if he can provide examples
We talked about the Spear and the Will. Their techniques are almost exactly the same, so they’re going to carry two down the middle. They’re going to play outside of two and bang him and go to one, or they’re going to read three and drop to the curl and take whoever comes out. That’s their basics – or they’re going to play two man-to-man, so that’s four. You may have to start to get into down-and-distance specifics to get other stuff but those are the basic things they need to learn what to do. We’re trying to get as good as we can with those things before we get to the next things.
On having to keep players moving when facing bigger teams
It depends. If you’re athletic enough do that, yes sir. If not, you just get in the gap or try to get in the gap and hang on. My first coaching job, I worked for a guy named Charlie Bailey. I’ll never forget Coach Bailey said the key to coaching defense is to get your bad players to use up all the blockers, so your good players can make the plays. That sounds simplistic, but there’s some truth to that, as well. We want to force double teams. We want to make sure we dictate the blocking schemes as much as we can. My first full-time job was working for a guy named Joe Lee Dunn, and his reputation was blitz, blitz, blitz, blitz, blitz, all the time. That would be fun. I would like to bring pressure, bring five or more, 25 to 30 percent of the time, but with the way offenses are now, they’re throwing the ball in 2.6 seconds. You can be wide open and not get there. I just happened to be eating the other day in the cafeteria and heard them talking about why draft a defensive end when Tom Brady’s going to throw the ball before he can get there? I was going, ‘Yeah, I understand that.’ You have to be able to cover first and force teams to do those things. We watched the bowl game really for the first time yesterday or the day before, and we blitzed more in the bowl game than we had all year, but we dropped guys out and got underneath their hot routes, because I knew they would try to throw hot. I knew, based on game plan, what they were going to do, and we dropped guys into those holes, and we got that big quarterback from Buffalo moving a little bit, and it really only hurt us once. We wanted him moving, so he couldn’t just rocket fire. (Those are) just some examples.
On if he showed the current WVU players the Troy bowl game
No, it was just us. We were installing, so it was easier to show them – this was our coaches, it wasn’t players yet. It was just teaching the coaches on the staff, ‘Here’s what we’re trying to get out of this.’ We had done more of that in the bowl game than we had all season, so that was the best game, because I knew there were more snaps of that. It showed them what we’re trying to do.
On playing quarters coverage
We do play quarters, but it’s not as conventional quarters as some people. A lot of people call it palms, that’s Hayden Fry’s deal that came from way back (at) Iowa. All the Stoops brothers took it everywhere. I know the guy that was the head coach at Nebraska that’s at Youngstown (Bo Pelini), he’s got a version of it. There’s a lot of people that do it. It’s not a new deal. That’s been around for a long time. We’ve put our own wrinkles to it, so that we can play with what we call backstops. We really don’t want, especially in the spread offenses, it’s called spread because they want to use the field. It’s like when you’re growing up, if you’re playing ball, and you throw the ball to the batter, and he misses it, so the ball runs down the street, you’re going to get tired of playing ball pretty soon because you’re chasing the ball down the street all the time. We want to have backstops. We don’t want to see them running a stretch play or throwing a bubble screen and the ball is running around the edge all the time. When you start seeing that happening to us, then we have to do something different. We really don’t want teams to be able to spread. We want to make them go where we want them to do, if that makes sense.
On playing a lot of cover one
They were a one high and what they call a closed middle a lot. That’s what odd stack is. It’s a 3-5-3 or you blitz, so you play five under three deep, or you blitz, or you bring two guys and play a fire zone. I can draw all that stuff up, too.
On breaking habits
It started off a little bit. I think most of the habit breaking is mental, it’s not as much physical. I think the guys are doing a really good job, at least my guys, and I’d say all the defensive guys pretty much. I think they are really trying hard, and they have really done a good job all-in-all. When you sit back and get away from the day-to-day grind of it, I think it’s just a mental deal as far as, ‘Well, I was used to doing this. I had success, or I did this.’ I think some of it is just breaking that a little bit. I think our guys are really trying for the most part. I see a lot of progress. Again, it’s just like having your kids, and when you see them every day, you don’t see them grow. But you go to visit relatives that have kids, and their kids have grown a foot and you go, ‘Wow, you really grew.’ When you are with them every day, you don’t see the progress that they are actually making. You have to step back a little bit and not be too critical of yourself or them and the progress that they are really making.
On the athleticism of his players
They are who we have, and it really doesn’t (matter). I’m not trying to avoid answering this, it really doesn’t matter. They’re the guys we have, and we are going to make them the best, coach them, love them and get them as good as we can. Some of them can play, and some of them we have to get them to where they can play. That’s our jobs, and I’m ultimately responsible for the whole group, and I take that very serious and personal. It’s not just a football deal. I think the football part of it, and I know there’s been a lot of famous head coaches that have said this, that the football part of it is just a small part of it. We’re making boys to men or men to better men or however you want to do it. That part of it is much, much greater right now. That’s part of it. The football stuff comes easy. They love it when they go on the field. As coaches, that’s our favorite part of the day, as well. I’m not trying to avoid questions, they are the guys we have, so we’ll find out because W’s and L’s will come pretty soon. So, we’ll find out.
On how things are coming along with the language and terminology of the install
I think they are doing great. Again, I think the guys are trying hard. There are some of them that say, ‘Well, we did this, we did that, and I like doing that.’ Well, yeah, I like sitting back 25 yards reading the quarterback’s eyes. That was really easy and just running where the ball was. I’m just using an example of free safety. Heck yeah, that was simple. What was that Geico commercial? Where a caveman can do it. Yeah, I was just sitting back there in the middle of the field, 25 yards and go. So, now reading the receiver, if he goes out, I do this and if he goes in, I do this. That’s much more difficult, but that’s quarters coverage. That’s pattern match and reading, so that’s a little bit harder. Does that help? Some of the stuff is harder for them, but I really do think they are trying, obviously. We are all trying.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Jordan Lesley
On who is practicing where this spring
Well, at defensive end, we’re working (redshirt sophomore) Taijh Alston, (redshirt junior) Jeffery Pooler (Jr.), (redshirt senior) Quondarius Qualls, who is a position move, but I think it’s better for him, (redshirt freshman) Tavis Lee, who has, in four days, made some strides; he’s gotten a lot better, and (redshirt sophomore) Sam Cookman. At nose, we’re working (junior) Darius Stills, who, I think, so far has been one of the most impressive. He’s done a great job, but right on his heels is (redshirt senior) Brenon Thrift, who I have been happy with. Making strides behind him is (redshirt freshman) Tyrese Allen, who is also moving in our scheme from tackle into nose. I think that fits his skill set a little better. At three, there’s primarily three guys: (senior) Reese Donahue, (sophomore) Dante Stills, who has done a great job so far, and (redshirt senior) Stone Wolfley. So, those are the guys, primarily, we are working at those three positions – not necessarily in that order. When we got into pads, I started mixing and matching who is running with the two’s in with the one’s and then the three’s in with the one’s, down with the two’s and vice versa. I try to always get all three of those groups against good-on-good work, one’s with the (offensive) line, because I want to see them versus our best in who is ready to make plays.
On moving guys around the defensive line
I think one of the best things about our defense is we can interchange guys. So, where you have a tackle that primarily plays a three technique maybe has a little knack for playing a five technique in some situations. It gives you a lot of flexibility. So, yeah, we’ve started mixing and matching, and the more fronts we install, the more we get an idea of that. Sometimes our ends will bump in and play a little bit four wide to three technique on some things. Like I said, you get to see guys play a lot of different techniques, and you start to hone in on what they’re good at.
On the range of talent and personalities he has to work with
It’s easy for me because I always go back to my junior-college roots. At that level, your backgrounds are even more diverse and even more different, and every situation is extremely different. So, that’s something that I’m really accustomed to, and I like that. I think your move being diverse, whether it’s physically, mentally, it’s having different guys, different personalities that you try to find out how to mesh with each other. Our guys are doing a great job, I enjoy that. I think if you try to get all the same, it gets a little robotic sometimes, coaching the same type of guy every time. I think every guy has a different personality, and I like to have big personalities in that room. So, it’s a good mix of guys. I enjoy it.
Assistant Coach (Outside Linebackers) Al Pogue
On the passion of coaching
People don’t know this, but I used to be a teacher. I love working with kids. (I was a) special-ed teacher, I love working with kids and just having the opportunity to get out there and be around the game and still have some involvement in it. I tell the kids all the time, they need to enjoy this journey, and it’s an honor for me to help connect them to the next point in whatever they’re doing. We are going to work hard, so why not have fun when you work hard? And if they see that in me, hopefully it will transfer to them.
On the outside linebackers and body types
Spear and the Will linebackers, both of those, we ask those guys to do some of the exact same things, so that’s why we combine the two. The Will is, a lot of times, a little bit bigger safety-type of guy. The Spear, at times, is probably a little bit longer, corner-type of body. Again, because we may ask him to cover a little bit more man coverage. When we evaluate guys, that’s how we look at it.
On who will be seeing time at Spear linebacker
(Senior safety) JoVanni Stewart is one, (redshirt junior safety) Dante Bonamico, (redshirt freshmen safety) Kwantel Raines, those types of guys are Spears. At the Will, you have (sophomore linebacker) Josh Chandler, (redshirt senior safety) Deamonte Lindsay, (redshirt junior linebacker) Rashone Lusane, who we recently moved over. Those are normally our Will-type guys.
On the differences between Spear and Will linebackers
Again, if anything, if I had to put a distinct difference on it, we may ask the Spear guy to play a little bit more man coverage than more so the Will. At times, our Will has to actually get in the box and be a linebacker and rarely do we ask that out of our spears.
Assistant Coach (Inside Linebackers) Blake Seiler
On coordinating WVU’s special teams units
I’ve never been the full coordinator, but I’ve helped with special teams for a decade. At Kansas State, we had a long history of having very good special teams with Coach (Bill) Snyder. I’m excited about it. I’ve been a defensive coordinator before, so special teams coordinator is obviously a different side of the ball. But it’s good, and I think the players have really bought into it. Coach (Neal) Brown really emphasizes the value of special teams, and I think that that’s great. That’s what I’m used to from where I came from with Coach Snyder.
On the management style of being a special teams coordinator
You’re not just managing the defensive players, you’re managing offensive players. You have the whole team, the specialists included as well. I think, obviously, it takes a full staff to do that, and I like how Coach (Neal) Brown has structured it with every coach also having a lead role in the units as well and to have ownership in the staff as well.
On if being a special teams coordinator helps him get to know the full team
I think now is the time to do it, because you’re just coming out of season. You’re doing all the station drills, and so, you’re used to working with every player on the team. So, we haven’t really separated ourselves from that yet. I’m starting to learn all the faces and names, and now, I have to put numbers with them too. So, we’re getting there.
On which players can fill the bandit linebacker role
I feel confident about getting guys in the right spots, because I think it’s a smart group, it’s a blue-collar group. It’s a new position for them, so we’re still working on our pass-rush ability there to make those game-changing plays.
