Tight ends make West Virginia different
The West Virginia coaching staff recognized that outside of the offensive line perhaps no position on that side of the ball needed to be addressed more than the tight end room.
So, the Mountaineers did exactly that with the transfer portal being a significant component to that.
Senior Offensive Assistant Travis Trickett discussed the topic on the Rich Rodriguez Radio Show and broke down each of the transfer additions that the Mountaineers made.
Redshirt senior Jacob Barrick followed Rodriguez from his previous stop at Jacksonville State and made his presence known in the opener with one catch for 15 yards while playing 19 total snaps. He served as a run blocker on 13 of those and was an addition that was expected to help.
“Jacob Barrick when I was here before we tried to get him to walk-on and Coach Rod offered him a scholarship down there. That’s a guy that has developed into a really good player,” Trickett said.
Redshirt senior Grayson Barnes came over from Northern Illinois and reeled in 3 passes for 37 yards but unfortunately had a fumble.
Still, Barnes started for the Mountaineers and played the most snaps in the room with 35 in the opener. A seasoned option, Barnes had 54 catches for 760 yards and 9 touchdowns over the previous two seasons with the Huskies. That made him an attractive option when he entered the portal.
“We jumped all over him because of his athleticism,” Trickett said.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Ward was the last addition to the roster and is a player that Trickett believes has a lot of upside given his size and youth. He played 11 snaps in the opener, but the Mountaineers believe that he could carve out a big role in the future.
“Has a ton of upside. He’s the guy that can be 240-pounds and do it all,” Trickett said.
The offense has continued to evolve with the usage of the tight end as at least one was on the field on 68 of the 79 total offensive snaps in the first game.
“You’ll see us utilize them. We got two tight ends on the field, three tight ends on the field. Those guys give us a lot of flexibility and really make us different,” he said.
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