Playing hard, effort is a must for West Virginia in fall camp
The West Virginia football team has one goal that sits right at the top of the list at this stage of fall camp.
And that is getting every single player on the roster to understand how hard they need to practice on a daily basis and the effort required out of them.
While some of the roster was in place in the spring, there are around 40 new players on the roster since that wrapped up and the coaching staff is placing an emphasis on the messaging on the effort required to play under head coach Rich Rodriguez.
“The number one goal especially early in camp right now is to make sure these kids understand what playing hard is by our definition,” senior offensive assistant Travis Trickett said. “And Coach Rod tells us all the time your definition of playing hard might be different and probably is different than what I believe is playing hard.”
That’s not to say that some on the roster clearly understand that, but others might believe they’re already at that level but can have some more effort squeezed out of them. That’s the case on offense, defense and everything in between to find that level of effort required.
That’s because the coaching staff believes that playing hard is an advantage in itself.
“Not everybody plays hard every play, every snap from first quarter to fourth quarter. So that’s going to be our identity, that’s how we’re going to play so it’s just as important as any fundamental we’re going to teach, any drill, any technique, any play we’re going to do is making sure these kids understand that when we see it that’s it. That’s what we need every play and if you’re not doing it, when we see it we say it,” he said.
The Mountaineers are further along than they were in the spring when it comes to reaching that point, but the work there isn’t done until it’s spread all across the roster.
“If we have 118 players, until all 118 players understand it and know what it is we’re not going to be what we need to be until that’s done,” Trickett said. “So that’s a huge priority for us right now.”
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