ITG 133 - 2024 Signees & Portal Commits
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00:00 (upbeat music)
00:00:02 - In the gun episode 133, I'm Skylar Kelley
00:00:09 and that is the signal caller Jed Droning.
00:00:10 And this time of year is like the most craziest,
00:00:13 most hectic time of year for both Jed and I
00:00:17 because we're knee deep into all these recruiting kids
00:00:21 and trying to figure out who's coming to West Virginia,
00:00:24 who's not.
00:00:25 He's got to do the signing day show for MSN.
00:00:28 I've got to do it for our site at Nine Years Now.
00:00:31 So it's crazy times trying to figure out
00:00:33 what these kids are good at, what they're not,
00:00:36 what their background is.
00:00:38 We're gonna get into all that stuff here today.
00:00:39 We're gonna talk about West Virginia's 2024 class.
00:00:43 But first we're gonna talk about the transfer portal,
00:00:45 a little bit about the needs,
00:00:47 some of the guys that they have committed at this point.
00:00:49 Again, that can change at any moment
00:00:51 'cause as Jed will explain here in a minute,
00:00:53 that's not as set in stone as these kids
00:00:58 that signed here this past Wednesday.
00:01:00 So let's go ahead and get into it with the transfer portal.
00:01:04 So as of today, as we record this on Thursday evening,
00:01:08 West Virginia has six guys committed through the portal.
00:01:11 Ohio State linebacker Reed Carrico,
00:01:14 Gardner Webb, edge rusher Ty French,
00:01:17 Colorado State cornerback TJ Crandall,
00:01:19 Oklahoma State wide receiver Jaden Bray,
00:01:22 Louisville Safety Josh Minkins Jr.,
00:01:24 and cornerback from Duquesne, Aiden Garnes.
00:01:28 Out of these six, I gotta admit,
00:01:31 Jed, they're hitting on all their needs right now.
00:01:34 We've heard from the very beginning of the off season
00:01:37 that Neil and this coaching staff
00:01:38 were really gonna hammer this secondary hard,
00:01:41 and they really had to.
00:01:42 Regardless if any of these guys that entered the portal
00:01:45 at the end of the season or not,
00:01:46 they were gonna have to add
00:01:48 to get some more into that two deep.
00:01:50 I really like Crandall.
00:01:51 I think Minkins is a guy
00:01:53 that can come in and play right away.
00:01:54 And Garnes, I think, is kind of in the same breath.
00:01:57 I mean, we saw him play against West Virginia
00:01:59 at a couple of tackles in that game
00:02:01 that lasted about eight hours long that you were in.
00:02:04 So I think it's a nice class so far.
00:02:07 - Yeah, and what's nice about it is
00:02:11 when you're behind the scenes to some extent,
00:02:13 and you have conversations with the staff,
00:02:17 the vision of Drew Favionich as the general manager,
00:02:20 basically running point on all things personnel,
00:02:26 what you're seeing unfold is highly orchestrated.
00:02:29 It's all according to plan.
00:02:31 It's very structured.
00:02:32 And it's in large measure
00:02:35 the brainchild of Drew Favionich.
00:02:37 I mean, this is what he had in mind.
00:02:39 When you talk to him in preceding months,
00:02:41 this is what he viewed West Virginia working towards.
00:02:45 And as you touched on, each of those names,
00:02:47 you could talk about a different skillset
00:02:49 or value that they're gonna bring right out of the gate.
00:02:51 We always talk about, even in the portal,
00:02:54 there are two types of players.
00:02:57 There are immediate impact players
00:02:58 and there are developmental players.
00:03:00 A Tomey would be one,
00:03:01 a kid that comes up here with three years left,
00:03:03 three plus years left from Kentucky after transferring.
00:03:07 So sometimes you're looking at long-term kids
00:03:09 in the portal as well.
00:03:10 But each of those names that you write at all
00:03:13 have a puncher's chance to step in and help right away.
00:03:16 And again, each one for different reasons,
00:03:18 but you finished with Garns.
00:03:20 I mean, what I remember about Garns is
00:03:22 I was impressed by the kid as I was studying tape
00:03:25 on Duquesne getting ready for the game this year.
00:03:28 He can play corner.
00:03:30 He's slight in size, but he plays bigger than his weight,
00:03:34 but he can also play the post.
00:03:36 You can drop him back at safety.
00:03:37 So he brings a lot of versatility.
00:03:39 And a lot of those guys, that's the key word,
00:03:41 the B word, versatility, is the case with most of those guys.
00:03:44 But each of them brings some level of value.
00:03:47 And we talked about this when the portal opened
00:03:51 and people were on some level having minor freakouts
00:03:54 that we didn't write it at the gate, sign a bunch of kids.
00:03:57 No, no, no.
00:03:57 Pump the brakes.
00:03:59 We have a strategy.
00:04:00 There's a method to our madness.
00:04:02 Understand and have faith in the staff and in Drew Povionich
00:04:05 and in what we're trying to do.
00:04:07 And now you're starting to see some of those pieces
00:04:09 fall into place, and that will continue.
00:04:12 Yeah, I mean, a guy like Reed Carrico,
00:04:14 this was a guy that was silently committed to West Virginia
00:04:18 for, I think, about a week or so.
00:04:21 He actually came back a second time
00:04:23 to visit the show his mom.
00:04:25 And he's a guy that was highly recruited out of high school.
00:04:29 He was one of the top linebackers,
00:04:30 not only in the state of Ohio, but in the country.
00:04:32 Just got buried on the depth chart in Ohio State.
00:04:34 And this is kind of his first opportunity
00:04:37 to really step up and play a role in a defense.
00:04:39 And I don't know if he's going to start, but I mean,
00:04:41 he's going to have a chance to make an impact.
00:04:43 And that's really what they needed.
00:04:45 We kind of talked about it earlier in the offseason.
00:04:48 You're going to have to find a replacement for Lee Kova
00:04:50 because as talented as that linebacker group is,
00:04:55 they're really, really young.
00:04:56 They needed an experienced player
00:04:58 to come and kind of take over that mentor role that Lee had.
00:05:02 And I think Reed will do that.
00:05:04 Ty French's--
00:05:05 Box opportunities.
00:05:06 When I see Carrico, I'll tell you what I see.
00:05:09 I don't see the pedigree.
00:05:10 I don't see the star rating.
00:05:12 I don't see the Buckeye logo next to him.
00:05:14 I see a blue collar, Ironton, Ohio kid.
00:05:17 He's an old school player.
00:05:18 Fits right into our locker room.
00:05:20 I mean, that's what I see.
00:05:21 Yeah, he's an old school player.
00:05:23 And I 100% agree with you.
00:05:27 Ty French is an intriguing one because to be honest with you,
00:05:31 Jed, I think he's got a chance to be the best pass rusher
00:05:35 that Neil Brown's had.
00:05:36 And I mean, this guy was an FCS All-American.
00:05:40 He led the conference in sacks three years running.
00:05:43 He knows how to get to the pass rusher-- or to the passer.
00:05:45 And I really think, too, he's better in the run game
00:05:48 than people give him credit for.
00:05:50 I think everyone just looks at the sacks and the TFLs.
00:05:52 But I think he's pretty good in the run fit, too.
00:05:55 Yeah, when you look at a kid like that,
00:05:57 you know that the starting point could always be a sub package.
00:06:00 But then you want to expand beyond that.
00:06:02 In other words, how close to an every down player
00:06:04 are you going to show up on campus being?
00:06:06 Because we recognize the fact when
00:06:08 we go to sub packages on third down in passing situations,
00:06:12 his skill set is uniquely tailored to fit that.
00:06:15 But what about when it's first and 10?
00:06:17 What about when it's second and eight?
00:06:18 Can you work towards being more of that every down player?
00:06:22 And can you work to get 35, 40 snaps instead of 20 snaps?
00:06:26 Yeah, and Jaden Bray on the other side of the Oklahoma
00:06:30 statewide receiver--
00:06:31 another big pickup because you're losing Devin Carter.
00:06:34 And again, kind of a similar situation to linebacker room.
00:06:37 You feel good about the talent there.
00:06:39 It's just so incredibly young.
00:06:41 You don't know what you're going to get
00:06:42 from a week-to-week basis.
00:06:44 Jaden Bray is going to come in and fill
00:06:45 that void of kind of what Devin Carter did.
00:06:48 What do you think about some of the remaining needs
00:06:51 that West Virginia has?
00:06:52 Because I think Neil said they're probably
00:06:54 going to look at adding three to four, maybe even five
00:06:56 more transfers before it's all said and done.
00:06:58 That could be now or in the spring.
00:07:00 What do you think they need to hit on?
00:07:02 Well, again, let's look at the addition of that wideout.
00:07:06 You have a big-bodied kid who plays a big game.
00:07:09 We've seen that up close and personal against West Virginia
00:07:11 and the Rapture at Oklahoma State.
00:07:13 So I mean, not all 6'2" kids play like they're 6'2".
00:07:17 He's one who does.
00:07:18 He plays for the football.
00:07:19 He wins 50-50 balls.
00:07:21 So he's going to bring the experience to the room,
00:07:23 but he's also going to bring that big frame to the room.
00:07:25 And he's going to play big.
00:07:26 So I would expect us to still be in pursuit of at least one
00:07:30 more tight end from Portal.
00:07:33 But even when you look defensively,
00:07:35 you're going to have to continue to sprinkle things at each
00:07:37 level.
00:07:38 Like, we like by and large where we're at on the defensive line,
00:07:42 but you never know what's going to present itself.
00:07:44 And when you look in the linebacker room,
00:07:46 we'll see because there's also the question of how many
00:07:49 of these kids that we're about to get into after the break
00:07:51 in the signing class can step in and contribute right away.
00:07:54 How many of those kids are game ready?
00:07:56 But on the third level, we've started to address that.
00:08:00 I'm not sure if we're done.
00:08:02 I'm not sure if we're done.
00:08:03 So bear in mind, this is a work in progress
00:08:07 that will continue over the course
00:08:09 of the next handful of weeks.
00:08:10 But also, there's another Portal window in May.
00:08:12 And trust me when I say there'll be some action there as well.
00:08:15 First of all, I'd be shocked if we
00:08:17 don't lose another couple of players after the bowl game.
00:08:19 So there's going to be more movement.
00:08:21 That's just the nature of the new game, right?
00:08:24 So there's going to be changes both in and out
00:08:26 in the coming weeks.
00:08:28 But even post-Spring Bowl, you're
00:08:30 also going to have in that May window some more changes.
00:08:33 You'll probably have some attrition.
00:08:34 You'll probably have some additions.
00:08:36 So it's a work in progress.
00:08:37 But where we're at right now, I think what we need to do
00:08:40 is competitively, we need to work toward a point
00:08:42 where we have some depth.
00:08:44 And the staff has the leverage as opposed to the starting kid.
00:08:48 Because if the starting kid recognizes,
00:08:50 hey, there's not much of a gap between me and the guy behind
00:08:52 me, then all of a sudden, iron makes iron stronger.
00:08:56 Metal forges stronger metal.
00:08:58 So I think that's what we're working towards.
00:09:01 And when you talk about Kericho, whether he starts or not,
00:09:03 he's going to push that room.
00:09:05 That's exactly what you need.
00:09:06 You need a veteran presence that's
00:09:08 going to push that room.
00:09:09 And these are the types of kids that we're adding.
00:09:12 And I think, too, with the linebackers,
00:09:13 everyone kind of seems to forget.
00:09:15 I mean, Josiah Trotter has not played a single snap yet.
00:09:18 He's coming off a very tough injury.
00:09:21 Trey Latham is coming off a serious injury.
00:09:24 So even though there's talent in that room,
00:09:26 there's a lot of question marks.
00:09:27 How are those guys going to come back from injury?
00:09:29 Sometimes they're not the same players.
00:09:31 More often than not, they'll be OK.
00:09:32 But you never know.
00:09:34 I think offensive line, you can maybe add a piece.
00:09:39 I don't know that there's--
00:09:40 [INAUDIBLE]
00:09:42 Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if they do.
00:09:44 I wouldn't even be surprised if they added another receiver
00:09:46 if it's the right guy.
00:09:48 Well, look at the O-line, for instance, Skyler.
00:09:50 You have to be judicious.
00:09:52 You have to be very careful because you don't want to
00:09:54 disrupt the chemistry of that room.
00:09:56 That's the strength in that room is the chemistry.
00:09:58 So it has to absolutely be the right fit.
00:10:01 In other words, if we bring someone
00:10:04 into the portal in the offensive line--
00:10:05 and this is the case with any position,
00:10:07 but I think that room in particular--
00:10:09 trust me when I say they've got the seal of approval
00:10:11 from the rest of the room.
00:10:12 Because it's a certain type of mindset, mentality,
00:10:16 and personality that it takes to fit in that room.
00:10:19 So we may do it, but that tells you
00:10:21 that we found somebody that fits that room very well.
00:10:24 Yeah, and I'm 100% there with you with the defensive backs.
00:10:28 I wouldn't be shocked if they add maybe even two more.
00:10:32 There's going to be attrition that happens.
00:10:34 I think when I was doing the counting the other day,
00:10:37 if you add the 24 class plus the six transfers
00:10:40 that they have committed, I think
00:10:43 they're around like 90, 91 scholarships
00:10:45 or something like that.
00:10:46 So there's going to have to be somebody leaving the program,
00:10:49 regardless.
00:10:49 So don't freak out when there's seven or eight guys
00:10:53 leave the team after the bowl game.
00:10:55 So don't panic.
00:10:56 There will be.
00:10:57 Come and do it.
00:10:58 Yes, there will be some guys.
00:10:59 By hook or by crook, there will be.
00:11:00 Yeah.
00:11:01 So this is--
00:11:03 Oh, and breaking news too, Skyler.
00:11:04 We probably should have hit this at the top.
00:11:06 As we're speaking, we're taping today.
00:11:08 The news that came out today was--
00:11:10 Oh, yeah.
00:11:10 --on the coaching staff.
00:11:12 Obviously, Jared Parker getting the head job,
00:11:14 former Mountaineer offensive coordinator
00:11:16 with a longstanding history with Neil Brown.
00:11:18 But he takes the head job at Troy.
00:11:20 And I think that's a great hire for Troy for a host of reasons.
00:11:24 Probably not that surprised to see
00:11:27 Dante Wright leave the West Virginia staff
00:11:29 to take the defensive coordinator
00:11:31 spot for Jared Parker at Troy.
00:11:33 Two guys who are from the same hometown in Kentucky.
00:11:36 They have a lot of history together.
00:11:38 Nothing surprising, I don't think, about that at all.
00:11:41 So Coach Wright moving up in the world,
00:11:43 Coach Parker with the head job at Troy.
00:11:45 So a little bit of disruption to this point.
00:11:48 But that's kind of business as usual too.
00:11:50 You never know.
00:11:51 I mean, is that the end of the coaching staff shakeups?
00:11:53 Who knows?
00:11:53 This is that time of year, right?
00:11:55 As the musical chairs are moving throughout the country.
00:11:58 So that's what's played out.
00:12:01 Yeah.
00:12:01 I think that's a great hire for Troy.
00:12:04 And I think it's an awesome opportunity for Jared.
00:12:07 It seems like there's a lot of this West Virginia Troy
00:12:09 pipeline going on here the last few years.
00:12:11 Al Pogue actually went back there, I think, at one point.
00:12:14 So he might still be there.
00:12:15 I'm not sure.
00:12:17 But our show is brought to you by Bet Online.
00:12:19 I didn't get this in earlier.
00:12:21 Sorry, Bet Online.
00:12:22 Don't be mad at me.
00:12:24 And also by Toothman Ford.
00:12:26 We all know cars cost less.
00:12:27 And Grafton.
00:12:28 We're going to go ahead and take a quick break.
00:12:30 When we return on the other side,
00:12:31 we're going to talk about the high school
00:12:33 class that is on their way to West Virginia.
00:12:36 They're NILs or NLIs, whatever acronym you want to use for it.
00:12:40 They are in.
00:12:41 And seven of them will be here in just a couple of weeks
00:12:44 as early enrollees.
00:12:45 So we'll dive into that here after this break.
00:12:48 Nobody supports the blue and gold Mountaineers
00:12:50 like Toothman Ford.
00:12:51 With over 20 NIL deals and counting,
00:12:54 Toothman Ford continues to rally behind our student athletes.
00:12:57 And it's time we rally and support the dealer that
00:12:59 supports the Mountaineers.
00:13:00 Not only does Toothman Ford offer the best prices
00:13:03 in the state on pre-owned, their Never Over MSRP
00:13:06 campaign on new Ford's guaranteed
00:13:07 to save you thousands.
00:13:09 Drive with pride all season long,
00:13:10 knowing you're supporting the dealer that
00:13:12 fuels our Mountaineers.
00:13:14 Toothman Ford, where cars cost less, in Grafton
00:13:16 and at ToothmanFord.com.
00:13:20 For more West Virginia Mountaineer football content,
00:13:23 be sure to follow us on Twitter @InTheGunPodcast.
00:13:25 For nearly 20 years, Fortis has been the nation's leader
00:13:33 in providing guaranteed roof performance programs
00:13:35 for commercial buildings.
00:13:36 Fortis offers roof performance solutions
00:13:38 that feature extensive initial and ongoing reconditioning
00:13:41 for commercial buildings as an alternative
00:13:44 to traditional replacement, with long-term performance
00:13:46 guarantees that are backed by global leader Lloyds of London.
00:13:49 Fortis offers a comprehensive range
00:13:51 of roof performance management programs
00:13:53 that provide financial security, extend
00:13:55 the life of our customers' roofs,
00:13:57 and make a significant impact on ROI.
00:13:59 Fortis is currently improving performance and increasing ROI
00:14:02 for customers at more than 4,800 locations,
00:14:04 with more than 140 million square feet protected,
00:14:08 including many Fortune 500 companies that
00:14:10 have turned to Fortis to save money, gain financial certainty,
00:14:13 and extend the life of their existing roofs.
00:14:16 Fortis has helped customers save more than $520 million
00:14:19 in capital roof replacement costs for an average ROI
00:14:22 of over 250%.
00:14:24 To learn more, visit Fortis.us.com.
00:14:27 Fortis, roof performance and financial certainty guaranteed.
00:14:34 If you work the land, you just got
00:14:36 to be a jack of all trades type.
00:14:38 There's just too much to do.
00:14:41 So if you got to be a welder, or a farmer, or a ditch digger,
00:14:45 that's just who you are that day.
00:14:47 Then tomorrow, you can be somebody else.
00:14:50 Get your Coyote at the new location of Johnston Equipment,
00:14:59 between Weston and Buckhannon.
00:15:01 All righty, and we're back.
00:15:02 We're going to go ahead and get into some
00:15:04 of this high school stuff.
00:15:05 Another thank you to Johnston's Equipment.
00:15:07 You can check out the new location out on Route 33.
00:15:10 New friends of the show.
00:15:12 Jed, this was a unique kind of year,
00:15:15 I think, with the signing class, because you
00:15:18 had to manage so many things.
00:15:20 First year, and a couple of years,
00:15:21 they've had to manage bowl prep.
00:15:23 And then you have player retention piece.
00:15:25 So you're recruiting the portal yourself,
00:15:27 and you also have to recruit these kids that
00:15:30 have been committed to you for the better part of the last
00:15:32 year.
00:15:33 So I do want you to speak on it before we get into it.
00:15:37 The difference in-- because I think
00:15:39 you spoke incredibly well on it during the signing they
00:15:42 showed the other day-- the difference in when
00:15:44 these kids send their national letters of intent
00:15:47 in, compared to what the transfers and what they do,
00:15:50 and how they're so far off, it doesn't even really matter.
00:15:55 Yeah, what you're dealing with here
00:15:57 is it's a much more binding situation with your sign
00:16:01 E's from a high school standpoint.
00:16:04 The portal, it still has a Wild West element to it.
00:16:08 I mean, it's almost until that window closes in early January,
00:16:12 you're going to have other schools preying on these portal
00:16:15 kids and continue to, irrespective of whether or not
00:16:18 they burbled and committed to you or not,
00:16:21 really until they're sitting in class behind a desk
00:16:24 at your school.
00:16:25 It's almost literally to that point.
00:16:27 Up until that point, whether they've signed, not signed,
00:16:31 that stuff's not as binding.
00:16:32 I mean, there's some caveats to that.
00:16:35 But it's a different animal.
00:16:37 You really hope that you pick the right kids.
00:16:40 They're not flaky.
00:16:41 There's a foundation to your relationship
00:16:43 enough so that you can see it through for the next three
00:16:46 weeks, and they do end up landing like you hoped
00:16:48 they would enrolled in school.
00:16:50 But yeah, it's a different animal.
00:16:52 The portal's a different animal.
00:16:54 I'm sure at some point moving forward, that will be addressed.
00:16:57 But at this point, with this hellscape of a calendar,
00:17:00 it's not been.
00:17:02 They've jammed all these things together.
00:17:04 No coach in America is happy about it.
00:17:06 Nobody seems to have the perfect resolution.
00:17:09 In basketball, they like to have earlier signing periods, right?
00:17:13 Sometimes you'll sign before your senior year.
00:17:15 Well, something tells me that--
00:17:16 AJ, Coach Jackson, on the show yesterday,
00:17:21 and he and I were talking about it.
00:17:23 I'm like, something tells me if you try that in football,
00:17:24 you'll have kids sitting out their senior year
00:17:26 in high school.
00:17:27 It's like, that's what will be downstream from that.
00:17:30 So you always have to be concerned and conscious
00:17:32 of the unintended consequences of these things
00:17:36 that you view as a remedy.
00:17:38 So who knows how you fix this next part of it?
00:17:41 The calendar needs addressed.
00:17:42 There's no doubt about it.
00:17:44 I don't know that you go back to the old days
00:17:46 of the first week in February, where you basically
00:17:49 have to stand guard and keep the wolves at the door.
00:17:52 After the kid's verbal, now you've
00:17:53 got to spend two months just hawkishly watching the kid
00:17:56 while every other staff in America
00:17:58 preys upon them trying to flip them.
00:18:00 I don't know if that's the answer.
00:18:01 And I don't know if the answer is early in their senior year.
00:18:04 I don't know what the answer might be,
00:18:06 but they do need to explore some different options other than--
00:18:10 I'm sitting there watching a bowl game the other night.
00:18:12 It didn't end until after 11 o'clock.
00:18:14 And both those staffs in that bowl game
00:18:16 had to deal with the same stuff we were dealing with yesterday.
00:18:19 So they probably didn't go to bed.
00:18:21 I mean, they probably went straight to the fax machine
00:18:23 and the email.
00:18:24 So you've got to do something about it.
00:18:26 It's just you're burning the can too many ends.
00:18:29 My solution will never come to fruition,
00:18:32 because in my opinion, I honestly
00:18:34 hate the gap anyways in between the final week
00:18:38 of the regular season or conference championship week
00:18:40 and then the bowl game.
00:18:41 You have a month where you're almost a completely different
00:18:44 team because you're in a rhythm.
00:18:45 You're in a routine.
00:18:46 You're being the same team every week.
00:18:48 And then you go three or four weeks without playing,
00:18:50 and you lose all that rhythm.
00:18:52 To me, I'd love to just see, hey, next week,
00:18:54 you play your bowl game.
00:18:55 And boom, you move on.
00:18:57 But obviously, because of TV and all that other jazz,
00:18:59 you're never going to have that.
00:19:00 But I think--
00:19:02 I have a situation right now.
00:19:03 I talked about this yesterday.
00:19:05 Not to interrupt, Skyler.
00:19:07 Texas has a situation.
00:19:09 As a playoff team, their backup quarterback--
00:19:12 In the quarter.
00:19:13 --wants to see it through and play the playoffs with his team.
00:19:16 But he recognizes, hey, not only am I in a backup,
00:19:19 but I have a five-star battling to be the backup ahead of me.
00:19:23 I need to transfer out and find a better situation.
00:19:26 I don't want to do that until the playoffs is over.
00:19:28 But the calendar is forcing him to do it prematurely.
00:19:32 He doesn't want to leave until the playoffs are over.
00:19:34 But because of the current calendar, he's going to have to.
00:19:37 And that's unfortunate.
00:19:38 So that's an unintended consequence.
00:19:41 There's a lot of those.
00:19:42 It's a mess.
00:19:43 Speaking of quarterbacks, I think
00:19:45 that's where we should start, Khalil Wilkins.
00:19:48 Neil Brown said when he first took this job
00:19:50 that they were going to try and take a quarterback
00:19:52 in each and every single class.
00:19:54 And I think that's the right thing to do.
00:19:56 Anyways, but especially now with the way the portal is,
00:19:59 you need to stockpile these guys.
00:20:01 Because it seems like even though you're
00:20:03 going to bring one in every year,
00:20:05 you're probably going to lose one every year
00:20:07 or maybe every other year to the portal.
00:20:09 We saw Goose Crowder last year.
00:20:11 Don't know what will happen this offseason.
00:20:13 But it feels like this is a really good situation
00:20:16 at West Virginia's end because you have
00:20:17 Garrett Green coming back.
00:20:19 You have Nico being groomed right underneath of him.
00:20:22 And then you have Sean Boyle and Khalil Wilkins
00:20:24 that will be battling for the long-term future starting
00:20:28 gig behind them.
00:20:29 So it seems like this is a really good healthy situation
00:20:33 that they have.
00:20:35 But let's talk about Khalil Wilkins.
00:20:36 What do you see in this dual threat left-handed quarterback?
00:20:39 There's now two of them in the room, two Southpaws.
00:20:42 Yeah, two Southpaws.
00:20:44 He's very slippery.
00:20:44 He's very elusive.
00:20:46 He does have great arm count.
00:20:48 When you watch him on tape, he's accurate.
00:20:51 All the arm talent is there from a placement and timing
00:20:55 standpoint.
00:20:56 One of the things that impressed me in his tape
00:20:58 is he stands tall and he's fearless in the pocket.
00:21:00 He has that willingness to buy those couple extra beats
00:21:04 for his wide outs to make something happen.
00:21:07 And he'll exchange that for a blow from a defender.
00:21:09 I mean, he's not afraid to do that.
00:21:12 I like this vision.
00:21:13 There's times that you'll see him use his eyes
00:21:16 to manipulate coverage and move safeties.
00:21:19 So I like that about him.
00:21:20 But the athleticism is just hard to miss.
00:21:22 I mean, he has this great escape ability.
00:21:25 And sometimes these guys, for this athletic
00:21:28 at this early stage, they tend to become runners
00:21:31 as soon as they break contain, as soon as they extend a play.
00:21:34 We saw Garrett so much in previous years.
00:21:37 He would break free of the pocket
00:21:40 and immediately look just to run the football.
00:21:42 He was focused on the defender right in front of him,
00:21:44 not understanding that the true goal lies downfield.
00:21:47 When you can extend a play, you're
00:21:48 maximizing the pressure on the back end of the secondary.
00:21:51 And it's too much for them to cover for those extra three
00:21:53 beats.
00:21:53 So the big plays are made downfield.
00:21:55 Garrett now is starting to understand it.
00:21:57 You see him make those plays downfield.
00:21:58 But it took him a while.
00:21:59 Well, with Khalil Wilkins, this is a kid who on his tape,
00:22:03 he's already starting to recognize some of that.
00:22:05 And he's appreciating the fact that the big plays are
00:22:07 downfield when he extends those plays
00:22:10 and breaks free of the pocket.
00:22:11 And the thing about him is he's so athletic.
00:22:14 Sometimes people will try and outnumber you
00:22:17 and bring pressure against him.
00:22:19 Well, the unfortunate trade-off defensively
00:22:21 is when you do that, by and large,
00:22:23 you have to offer up some form of man coverage
00:22:26 to bring those extra numbers.
00:22:27 And if you don't get home and he gets loose, he will run all day.
00:22:31 That's the problem with man coverage
00:22:33 when you don't get home against guys like this.
00:22:35 How many times have you seen the Pat
00:22:36 Whites of the world do that?
00:22:37 I mean, if you don't get home and you're playing man behind
00:22:40 it, you've got a bunch of DBs running wild with their backs
00:22:43 to the football.
00:22:44 There's not like zone coverage.
00:22:45 And their eyes are on the ball.
00:22:46 And they see it to be in position.
00:22:48 So that's what you see with this kid.
00:22:50 And he did camp at WVU.
00:22:52 He came up.
00:22:53 He was part of 7 on 7.
00:22:54 He dominated the 7 on 7.
00:22:56 Matter of fact, I think that's when he made his commitment,
00:22:58 was right about the time of that 7 on 7 camp.
00:23:00 So there's a lot to like.
00:23:02 But the beauty of it is he's not going to be forced into duty.
00:23:05 It's not going to be a baptism under fire.
00:23:07 You had the luxury of Sean Reagan in the staff
00:23:09 bringing him in and bringing him along slowly.
00:23:11 And he can learn from guys like Garrett and guys like Nico
00:23:15 and even Sean Boyle to some extent.
00:23:17 Yeah, and I agree with you when you said this on the signing
00:23:21 day show.
00:23:23 It's even better because he's going
00:23:25 to get to go spend a lot of time with Mike Joseph.
00:23:27 And if he fills that frame out, oh my goodness.
00:23:30 Because he's already got an immense arm talent.
00:23:33 But--
00:23:33 And good size.
00:23:34 Yeah, yeah.
00:23:36 And he's got good size.
00:23:37 He's already 6'3", 190 pounds.
00:23:39 And he's a past first quarterback.
00:23:41 Even though he can run, I think he would rather
00:23:44 throw the football.
00:23:45 Where some of these kids, like you said with Garrett,
00:23:48 I think he was a runner, an athlete playing quarterback,
00:23:51 and has had to learn to be an actual quarterback
00:23:53 and thrower of the football.
00:23:55 Where Khalil, I think he's already there.
00:23:56 It's just a matter of getting more mature and developed.
00:23:59 So moving to the running backs, we've
00:24:02 got D'Or Hubbard and Travion Dunbar here.
00:24:05 And even though there's some differences in these two guys,
00:24:08 there's a lot of similarities in that they're hard runners.
00:24:11 At least that's what I see on tape.
00:24:13 They're both really good in between the tackles.
00:24:15 No one likes to seem to tackle either of these guys.
00:24:19 What do you like here with these two backs?
00:24:22 Production.
00:24:23 When you combine what these two kids together,
00:24:26 you're looking, Skylar, at almost 10,000 yards rushing.
00:24:29 And there was just tremendous production from both of them.
00:24:32 And Dunbar is a kid who tore his ACL early in his career,
00:24:37 but he bounced back.
00:24:38 And he had just an incredibly productive senior year.
00:24:41 He ran for over 2,000 yards.
00:24:43 He averaged over 230 yards a game.
00:24:45 But when you watch his tape, explosive, smooth,
00:24:49 no wasted motion.
00:24:50 He's incredibly decisive.
00:24:52 He's a North-South guy.
00:24:53 He's a North-South guy with pop, with great vision.
00:24:57 I think his vision is probably his greatest strength.
00:25:01 He sees daylight, he plants a toe, and he takes off.
00:25:04 He has tremendous balance and spatial awareness.
00:25:07 And you'll see in his tape, there
00:25:09 were a handful of times when it seemed like he
00:25:11 was absolutely out of space.
00:25:14 And he used every inch of real estate on the sidelines
00:25:17 to dot the i, make his way up the sidelines,
00:25:20 avoid some defenders, and make some big plays.
00:25:22 And it takes a lot of good contact
00:25:24 to get him to the ground.
00:25:26 So there's a lot to be excited about,
00:25:28 because the production was there.
00:25:29 The physicality was there.
00:25:32 Much the same with Dior Hubbard.
00:25:33 This is a kid who ran for over 5,000 yards in Ohio high school
00:25:37 football.
00:25:38 I mean, this isn't, as I said on the show yesterday,
00:25:41 a Southwestern North Dakota high school football.
00:25:43 I'm not knocking North Dakota high school football,
00:25:45 but it's not Ohio, right?
00:25:47 So when you run for 5,200 yards, and you're
00:25:49 the Central District of Ohio Player of the Year twice,
00:25:53 that speaks to production.
00:25:55 It speaks to your ability.
00:25:57 He's a highly productive kid, obviously.
00:25:59 He has great quickness, great burst.
00:26:02 The strength to run right through arm tackles.
00:26:05 He's also blessed with tremendous balance,
00:26:07 which so many of these home run hitters often have.
00:26:10 And he has that extra gear.
00:26:11 Once he breaks into the third level,
00:26:13 you see that extra gear kick in on tape.
00:26:16 And he's just difficult in a handful
00:26:18 to bring down in space.
00:26:19 And he always makes the first defender miss.
00:26:22 So he's a difficult guy to TFL.
00:26:25 You're not often going to get him off script
00:26:26 and go behind the chains when you hand him the football.
00:26:29 You can rely on him consistently getting positive yardage,
00:26:34 irrespective of what the situation might bring.
00:26:37 He's just so slippery in tight spaces.
00:26:39 He's a very strong inside runner.
00:26:42 When they run inside zone, man, he really
00:26:45 makes that thing sing.
00:26:46 But he sees daylight.
00:26:48 He hits a crease, and he goes.
00:26:49 And 5,000 yards in Ohio high school football,
00:26:52 you just put extra information points up for that.
00:26:54 Both of these guys, there's some parallels in their game
00:26:57 from a production standpoint.
00:26:59 But both relatively the same build.
00:27:03 But yeah, I'm excited about both of them.
00:27:05 Both of them some pop.
00:27:07 Yeah, they know how to hit the hole.
00:27:08 And they both have really strong lower halves
00:27:11 and good contact balance.
00:27:13 And I think they're no-nonsense backs.
00:27:15 That's kind of the one term I keep saying with these two,
00:27:17 is they're not these patient guys
00:27:20 that dance in the backfield.
00:27:21 They get the ball, and they go.
00:27:23 They're going to run right through the hole,
00:27:25 make their decision, and--
00:27:26 Both of them-- both of them--
00:27:29 this is one of the things I always
00:27:30 liked about Steve Slayton.
00:27:33 Steve Slayton always ran the football
00:27:35 like he was a kick returner.
00:27:37 Yeah, they ran it--
00:27:39 One of the skill sets, one of the traits of a great kick
00:27:41 returner is you don't dance.
00:27:43 You find a crease, you see the crease, and you go.
00:27:46 And that's something that these two share.
00:27:48 Both of them see that crease.
00:27:50 They don't waste time.
00:27:51 They don't go east-west.
00:27:52 Boom, they go north.
00:27:55 Let's move over to the receivers.
00:27:57 We've got a few of them here.
00:27:58 Brandon Raymond, who I think is a really pretty polished
00:28:02 receiver in his own right.
00:28:04 I think he's a three-level threat guy.
00:28:06 He can beat you in every spot of the field.
00:28:09 Don Collins, Keyshawn Robinson.
00:28:12 And then you've also got the guy that
00:28:14 flipped his commitment on signing day,
00:28:16 Day-Day Farmer, who is quite the magician with the football
00:28:20 in his hands.
00:28:22 You start with Brandon Raymond.
00:28:24 Very soft hands.
00:28:25 He attacks the football.
00:28:26 He high points it.
00:28:27 He goes up after it.
00:28:28 He wins 50-50 balls.
00:28:30 You like the fact that as a high schooler,
00:28:32 he catches with his hands and not with his body.
00:28:35 So he doesn't use that as a crutch.
00:28:37 He's a very agile route runner.
00:28:39 Besides, you would expect a very limited route tree.
00:28:41 Even in a program as advanced as St. Joe's Prep,
00:28:44 they still have a more limited route tree
00:28:46 than what you're going to be exposed to at college.
00:28:48 But despite that, he's a very soft and agile route runner.
00:28:51 He gets in and out of his breaks.
00:28:54 Coach Marshall talked yesterday about the fact he's 6 foot.
00:28:57 But Brandon almost plays like he's 5'10" in the sense
00:28:59 that he gets in and out of his cuts so quickly.
00:29:02 And you'll see him on tape.
00:29:03 He forces a lot of DPIs because he outgains
00:29:06 the leverage of the corner, the defensive back.
00:29:08 And he puts them in a bad spot.
00:29:09 And so they desperately start reaching.
00:29:11 He has great body control.
00:29:13 Really good sense of timing in the screen game.
00:29:16 That's a critical part of the modern receiver.
00:29:18 And you see a lot of-- he's shifty,
00:29:20 but it translates to a lot of yards after a catch.
00:29:23 And he's able to separate from coverage.
00:29:25 I mean, that's a big strength.
00:29:27 And when you look at Keyshawn Robbins, an in-state product,
00:29:30 Jefferson County High School, I talked to his head coach,
00:29:34 Craig Hunter.
00:29:34 I actually played against his head coach.
00:29:36 Craig and I played against each other.
00:29:38 He was a defender for Shepherd College
00:29:40 back when Jeff Castillo was at Shepherd.
00:29:42 So Craig and I were telling some war stories the other night.
00:29:45 But Keyshawn's a special kid.
00:29:48 Good short area quickness and cutting ability.
00:29:50 He's too very decisive in space.
00:29:53 He has a nose for the end zone.
00:29:55 He doesn't need a lot of daylight
00:29:56 to make something happen.
00:29:59 Craig was telling a story about--
00:30:01 they played at Hurricane.
00:30:03 And this was when Key was on the defensive side
00:30:05 of the football, which he's still listed as an athlete.
00:30:08 He has the skill set.
00:30:08 We're trying to determine that.
00:30:11 I asked Coach Marshall, is there going to be a tug of war
00:30:13 in the staff room?
00:30:14 And he said, hey, wherever he lands,
00:30:16 he's going to be a player.
00:30:16 Because he does have the skill set
00:30:18 to play on either side of the football.
00:30:20 But they played Hurricane High School.
00:30:21 And Hurricane had a standout receiver.
00:30:24 And the staff was trying to determine, hey,
00:30:26 what are we going to do from a coverage standpoint
00:30:28 when we don't have Key on this guy?
00:30:30 Because there's going to be times
00:30:31 that we have to do some other things and roll coverage
00:30:34 and Key will be away from him.
00:30:35 And he said, Keyshawn overheard the conversation and said,
00:30:38 whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't know what you're talking about.
00:30:39 I went on that guy all night.
00:30:41 I'm going to lock him down.
00:30:41 And I'm going to shut him down.
00:30:42 And he said, that's exactly what happened.
00:30:44 And he said, in the same game, Keyshawn fumbled.
00:30:47 And he came up to me and said, Coach Craig, he said,
00:30:49 I got your back.
00:30:50 I'll make it up to you.
00:30:51 And he said, well, you know what?
00:30:52 I didn't have time to blank.
00:30:54 He has a pick six in scores.
00:30:56 A couple plays later, he has an 80-yard touchdown catch.
00:30:59 So he more than made it up to me.
00:31:00 He's always got your back.
00:31:02 He can erase problems.
00:31:03 He can make problems go away.
00:31:04 And this is a kid that Jefferson County High School track
00:31:08 standout.
00:31:09 Now, when you say Jefferson County High School,
00:31:11 when you mention track, you think James Jett.
00:31:13 He's actually in pursuit of a couple of James Jett state
00:31:16 records and school records.
00:31:17 And that's one of the reasons he's not
00:31:19 going to be an early enrollee is because he'll actually
00:31:22 be competing for Jefferson County
00:31:24 and he'll have them in states.
00:31:26 So there's going to be some opportunities for him
00:31:29 to do that.
00:31:29 Dom Collins, I mean, we saw watching West Virginia High
00:31:32 School's preseason at the AAA level just how incredibly
00:31:35 productive he is.
00:31:36 He had a big game in the state championship game.
00:31:38 I mean, people are going to be talking for many years
00:31:40 to come about what he did in that shootout
00:31:42 against Bridgeport.
00:31:44 I mean, he had eight catches for over 300 yards.
00:31:46 West Virginia had him in camp.
00:31:48 Neil talked about the fact-- he said, look,
00:31:50 I think he might have run the fastest 40 times I've ever
00:31:52 seen a person with my own eyes.
00:31:54 It's just a matter of stature with him.
00:31:56 He's a very small, somewhat diminutive kid.
00:32:00 So that was held against him by a lot of schools.
00:32:02 But the playmaking ability has absolutely been there.
00:32:06 And then you could even argue that maybe the gem
00:32:08 or the hidden gem, if he's hidden at all, of the class
00:32:10 is Dede Farmer.
00:32:11 And the thing you like about Dede Farmer--
00:32:13 Dede's another guy that, from a skill set standpoint,
00:32:17 Central Catholic Florida kid, from a skill set standpoint,
00:32:21 he brings so much value that he, too, could play
00:32:25 on either side of the football.
00:32:26 It's not outlandish to suggest you might see him do both.
00:32:29 I'm not ruling that out.
00:32:30 I mean, that's the type of skill set that he has.
00:32:32 But 5' 11", 165, once he puts on another 10, 15 pounds
00:32:37 with Mike Joseph, I'm telling you,
00:32:38 this guy could be the limit.
00:32:40 But even at 165 pounds, the thing
00:32:43 that pops about him on tape--
00:32:45 yes, he's explosive.
00:32:47 Yes, he's dynamic.
00:32:48 Yes, he's electrifying.
00:32:50 All those things make him special and unique
00:32:52 and stand out.
00:32:53 But he plays such a strong brand of football for 165 pounds,
00:32:58 such a physical brand of football.
00:32:59 He's not afraid to block you as a receiver when he doesn't
00:33:02 have the ball in his hands.
00:33:03 As a DB, he'll come up and light you up.
00:33:06 So you would not know by watching his tape
00:33:09 that he doesn't weigh a buck 70.
00:33:10 You'd think he weighs 10, 15 pounds heavier than he does.
00:33:14 And at some point in the near future, he will.
00:33:16 But this is a kid that was initially verbal to Pitt,
00:33:19 then verbal to UCF.
00:33:20 But we had a longstanding relationship with him.
00:33:22 We played the long game.
00:33:23 I mean, Neil talked about this yesterday.
00:33:25 He said, look, he said, I don't believe
00:33:27 in coming in late on guys.
00:33:29 And that's not what would happen with Day Day Farmer.
00:33:31 We had a two-year relationship as a staff with this kid.
00:33:34 And so that's why I was comfortable making
00:33:36 that late push, because we knew him for so long.
00:33:39 So yeah, when you look at the four kids
00:33:41 and the different skill sets that they bring,
00:33:45 varying levels of how polished they might or might not be.
00:33:47 But they all have playmaking ability.
00:33:49 And there's reasons from each of the four to be excited.
00:33:52 Yeah, and what I like about it, too,
00:33:54 there's a theme there when I was watching the tape last week,
00:33:57 is those kids love the block.
00:33:59 Like, it's not just that they have the ability to do it.
00:34:03 But I mean, they do it with passion.
00:34:06 And they go and hunt these blocks.
00:34:08 Like, I can't remember if it was Day Day or if it was Raymond.
00:34:12 There was one play that was kind of like a little bit
00:34:14 of a screen, went downfield.
00:34:15 He was kind of clogged up.
00:34:17 And then it went way downfield.
00:34:19 And he's sprinting all the way down.
00:34:21 And he picks up two blocks on the way to get the touchdown.
00:34:24 So impressive stuff.
00:34:27 We might as well go ahead and throw it in here, too.
00:34:29 Jack Simarco, the tight end.
00:34:30 He's a big kid already, 6'6", 240 pounds.
00:34:34 I think he's got a little ways to go as a pass catcher.
00:34:37 But I think he's going to fit better in this offense.
00:34:40 And the offense that he was in, at least from the tape
00:34:43 that I saw, looked like he was lined up in the slot a lot.
00:34:46 And I think it would better benefit him
00:34:49 to be more attached to the offensive line as a blocker,
00:34:51 someone that can slip out into the flat or up the seam.
00:34:54 What do you like about Jack?
00:34:57 First of all, the frame is there.
00:34:59 You can build on that frame.
00:35:01 He already has a tremendous relationship with the staff
00:35:03 and with Blaine Stewart.
00:35:06 Both his head coach, Evan Dreyer, and Jack himself
00:35:09 are big fans of Blaine Stewart.
00:35:11 I had a chance to talk to Evan Dreyer.
00:35:13 They got a heck of a program over there.
00:35:15 And he's so big on this kid.
00:35:18 He's like, look, there's not a hole in his game.
00:35:20 He's an ideal student.
00:35:21 He's a 3.5 kid.
00:35:23 He's an academic all-conference kid in the weight room.
00:35:25 He's really grown in the last year and a half.
00:35:27 But he's so physical with violent hands
00:35:31 that they talked about the fact that in the postseason--
00:35:36 and this is against pretty high-level high school
00:35:38 football in Ohio--
00:35:39 he said in the postseason, we had
00:35:41 to put him on the defensive line because his hands are
00:35:44 so violent.
00:35:45 Offensively, they couldn't contend with it.
00:35:47 He said, so I knew if I played him first and second down
00:35:50 on the defensive line that we would
00:35:53 face a lot of third and longs.
00:35:54 So that was-- as crazy as it might sound,
00:35:56 that was our strategy in the postseason.
00:35:58 Defensively, we put him on the defensive line,
00:36:00 first and second down.
00:36:01 And we rested him on third down.
00:36:03 And that's how we won these playoff games.
00:36:05 He said, so it just says so much about the type of football
00:36:08 player that he is.
00:36:08 But also, he's athletic enough to make things happen in space.
00:36:13 Like Coach Dreyer was telling me, he's like, look,
00:36:16 we're high octane, up-tempo.
00:36:18 And he said, we called a play one time early in the season.
00:36:21 And he said he caught it in the flat.
00:36:23 And I thought-- he had about an eight-yard gain.
00:36:25 And I thought he was going down.
00:36:26 And he said, so I already started lining things up
00:36:28 for the next play.
00:36:29 He said, I look up.
00:36:30 And he's going 47 yards for a touchdown.
00:36:31 He said he made three guys miss.
00:36:33 He found a way to stay on his feet.
00:36:34 He said, never sell this kid short.
00:36:36 And there was a game in which they were down--
00:36:39 this was the last week of the regular season.
00:36:42 And they were down 28 to 7.
00:36:44 And he said, Jack didn't lead the game.
00:36:47 He said, offensively, defensively,
00:36:48 special teams-wise, he was contributing and pitching in.
00:36:51 We were down 28 to 7 in a must-win situation
00:36:54 to become the first one seed in the history of the school.
00:36:56 And he said, all he does-- he has four sacks.
00:36:59 He has eight knockdowns as a blocker.
00:37:01 He really paved the way for us to come from behind
00:37:04 and win that football game.
00:37:05 And this is a kid who played on a team that also has a Division
00:37:10 I running back and a Division I receiver.
00:37:13 And he's like, look, I don't care.
00:37:14 He said-- he was consistently telling me, Coach Dreyer,
00:37:17 whatever you need from me, just tell me.
00:37:19 I don't need the numbers.
00:37:20 I don't need the production.
00:37:21 I just want to win.
00:37:22 And he said, so sometimes we had a lean on a running back.
00:37:24 Sometimes we had a lean on a receiver.
00:37:26 But there were times that, yeah, he played a lot in the slot.
00:37:29 But also, there were times he would even,
00:37:31 when you talk to Coach Dreyer, he's like, look,
00:37:33 I put him out wide and singled him up at X
00:37:35 because I wanted single coverage when they went man three.
00:37:38 And I just knew from a leverage standpoint,
00:37:40 he was too much to handle.
00:37:41 He truly is that guy that he will find a way
00:37:44 to block each of the 11 guys on the defense
00:37:48 on a different play.
00:37:49 Because it's-- in other words, he'll
00:37:51 go from blocking a 160-pound corner one snap
00:37:53 with 305-pound de-tackle to next.
00:37:56 He has the strength and technique
00:37:58 to do that against the big defenders,
00:38:00 but also the quickness and the understanding of leverage
00:38:03 to do against the smaller, quicker defenders.
00:38:04 So he's going to be one heck of an asset for us
00:38:11 once we bring him into the program,
00:38:12 once Mike Joseph gets a hold of him,
00:38:14 and once Blaine Stewart can cultivate him.
00:38:16 And he'll be able to learn as part of that tight end room.
00:38:19 And that's exactly the kind of body type--
00:38:21 I mean, I could see him being 6' 6" and a half, 6' 7", 265
00:38:26 by the time he's done.
00:38:26 I mean, I could just see him being like one of those Ohio
00:38:31 State-- one of those Iowa State tight ends
00:38:33 that we were so envious of.
00:38:35 In other words, Cole Taylor plus a little more
00:38:37 from a size standpoint could be the way he lands.
00:38:40 That's going to be interesting.
00:38:43 Now to my favorite part, the offensive line.
00:38:46 Because I think these guys are fun to watch.
00:38:48 I like watching offensive line tape.
00:38:50 I don't know many people out there that do,
00:38:53 but I find it intriguing.
00:38:55 These three guys, two of them I think
00:38:57 are going to move positions.
00:38:59 Justin Terry was a tackle in high school.
00:39:01 I think he's better probably suited to kick inside just
00:39:05 because of how big he is.
00:39:07 I think Lucas Austin is probably going
00:39:09 to stay a tackle because of the length, the athleticism.
00:39:11 And then Kyle Altooner, he's the gem of the class for me.
00:39:14 He is the number one recruit in this class.
00:39:17 I've tabbed him that for a long time.
00:39:20 The way he moves for as big as he is is incredible to watch.
00:39:26 You want to see a big guy running
00:39:27 in space, in the open space, you want to watch Kyle Altooner.
00:39:30 This is a tape that I watched hundreds of times
00:39:33 because of how fun it was to see what
00:39:35 he can do in pulling action.
00:39:38 This is somebody that I think is maybe not a day one starter,
00:39:42 but he can start early in his career.
00:39:44 And Neil has not been afraid to play freshman
00:39:46 along the offensive line.
00:39:47 This place is, you think, a freshman coming in
00:39:50 on the offensive line, automatic redshirt.
00:39:52 Not necessarily here.
00:39:53 We've had some success with Zach Frazier, Wyatt Milam.
00:39:57 I think Kyle's kind of built from that same mold.
00:40:02 Well, there's a lot to be excited about.
00:40:04 I think I already got a follow from Kyle's--
00:40:07 I'm assuming it's his mom on Twitter.
00:40:08 Yeah, she-- yeah.
00:40:09 She was liking some of the stuff.
00:40:12 But yeah, I had a chance to talk to Coach Andy Stephanelli.
00:40:16 They've got a tremendous program at Good Counsel.
00:40:19 But when you watch what he does on tape,
00:40:22 he played both tackle spots.
00:40:24 He's more likely to kick to the inside on the interior,
00:40:26 probably end up at center, to be honest with you.
00:40:29 He has a nasty streak to him.
00:40:30 He obviously loves the game.
00:40:33 He engages with very strong hands,
00:40:36 and he'll absolutely bury you.
00:40:37 His instincts are apparent on tape.
00:40:40 He plays smart.
00:40:41 He's a great short yardage blocker already
00:40:44 because of his pad level and his strength.
00:40:46 He's effective at both gap and zone.
00:40:49 They actually ran three different blocking concepts.
00:40:53 He's effective when they gap, but he's
00:40:54 effective when they zone up by detaching
00:40:57 climbing to the second level.
00:40:58 But they also did some old school man blocking concepts,
00:41:02 and he was just as effective at that.
00:41:03 That's a different kind of mentality
00:41:05 and a different kind of skill set.
00:41:07 But he has the agility to mirror a defender and pass pro,
00:41:11 but that's not what he loves.
00:41:12 He loves to pursue, seek, and destroy, and bury you.
00:41:16 But again, in talking to Coach Stefanelli,
00:41:19 this is a school that's produced a lot of NFL talent.
00:41:22 Stephon Diggs went to good counsel.
00:41:25 If you think from an offensive line standpoint,
00:41:27 currently with the Ravens, Sam Mustafer
00:41:28 on their offensive line is a grad of good counsel,
00:41:33 our lady good counsel.
00:41:34 And Coach Stefanelli said, look, I
00:41:36 can compare him to Mustafer or any of the others.
00:41:39 And from a standpoint of where he is in his career,
00:41:43 he's right there among the best of them.
00:41:44 He said he's so savvy on the field.
00:41:46 He can set up the defensive line with how he's blocking.
00:41:50 Technically, he's so advanced.
00:41:51 He can bend, plays with great leverage.
00:41:54 He's incredibly versatile.
00:41:55 He played center his whole life until he got to good counsel
00:41:59 as a freshman.
00:42:00 And out of necessity, they had to move him out to tackle.
00:42:03 I often feel what you like is you so often hear these stories
00:42:06 he's kind of an oh, shucks.
00:42:08 Oh, shucks, very humble kid off the field.
00:42:12 Meanwhile, he's so intense between the lines.
00:42:15 He's just a very smart football player who picks things up fast.
00:42:19 He'll be a sponge around Matt Moore.
00:42:22 He was a leader of this offensive line
00:42:24 for the entire four years he was there.
00:42:27 Coach told me there was a big game down the stretch last year
00:42:31 and it was late in the third quarter
00:42:32 and they started tilting the game in their favor.
00:42:35 And they were running the football effectively
00:42:37 and got down around the 40.
00:42:39 And he said there was a timeout.
00:42:40 And he said during the timeout, he said--
00:42:43 Kyle came up to me, he said, coach,
00:42:45 just don't throw the ball.
00:42:47 In other words, he was telling me not to screw this up
00:42:49 after the play call.
00:42:50 Or he's like, just don't throw the ball and we'll be fine.
00:42:53 And he said, I knew what he meant.
00:42:55 And sure enough, we ran it six straight times
00:42:57 and punched it in right behind him.
00:42:59 But a special kid, an incredibly bright future, very athletic,
00:43:04 and he brings a lot to the table.
00:43:06 That's an interesting thing.
00:43:08 And I tell you, the first time I talked to Kyle,
00:43:11 I thought I was talking to Matt Moore.
00:43:13 It sounded so similar to me.
00:43:15 It was crazy.
00:43:15 I was having to double check myself.
00:43:17 It's like, am I listening to a Matt Moore press conference
00:43:20 or am I listening to Kyle Altuner?
00:43:22 But you might like this, Jed.
00:43:23 Little known fact about Kyle Altuner.
00:43:26 His favorite Christmas movie?
00:43:28 A Christmas Story.
00:43:30 Don't roll that.
00:43:32 Nothing wrong with that at all.
00:43:33 Don't roll that.
00:43:34 Sticking with the athletic theme on the O-line,
00:43:38 when you look at Lucas Austin, this
00:43:40 is a dude that not only did he play basketball--
00:43:45 it's one thing to play basketball as an O-lineman,
00:43:47 right?
00:43:48 But the beginning--
00:43:48 Not only did he play basketball, he was a 1,000-point career
00:43:51 scorer.
00:43:53 He owns the school record with 138 threes.
00:43:58 You talk about a big man with feet.
00:44:01 He has an incredibly high motor.
00:44:03 There's no off switch.
00:44:04 He's very smart.
00:44:06 He's long.
00:44:07 But sometimes when you see these high school
00:44:09 kids with that kind of length, they tend to play too tall.
00:44:13 He doesn't do that.
00:44:14 He's incredibly comfortable in his stance.
00:44:16 He has good knee bend.
00:44:17 He has a great initial burst, good quickness off the snap.
00:44:21 There's a lot of pop in his pads.
00:44:23 You see, one of the things you look for
00:44:25 is how much snap they have in their hips
00:44:27 at the point of engagement.
00:44:29 He has great snap in his hips.
00:44:31 These are all things that will improve with more coaching
00:44:33 and with Mike Joseph.
00:44:35 But he's aggressive in pass production.
00:44:38 In other words, pass protection is a give and take proposition.
00:44:41 You take your kick step, you give a little ground,
00:44:44 you're trying to buy time for the quarterback.
00:44:45 He doesn't like giving ground.
00:44:47 I mean, you'll see him take that kick step,
00:44:49 and that five technique will push hard
00:44:51 to his outside shoulder.
00:44:53 And he doesn't gain another inch because Lucas Austin is just
00:44:56 standing firmly, standing his ground.
00:44:58 And when you talk to the staff, Jeff Koons was telling me,
00:45:03 he said when I called him yesterday,
00:45:04 he was out practicing his kick steps is what he was doing.
00:45:08 But again, athleticism is a theme
00:45:11 with these three offensive linemen.
00:45:13 That's also what you saw at Justin Terry,
00:45:16 a guy that's a big human being.
00:45:19 He's already 330 pounds.
00:45:21 Once you start toning some of that up,
00:45:24 that's going to be-- the sky's going
00:45:25 to be the limit in terms of what he can do from a physicality
00:45:28 standpoint.
00:45:29 You love his technique because he's so tenacious.
00:45:32 And even at that size, he's incredibly athletic.
00:45:35 He too is athletic.
00:45:36 He explodes off the football with low pad level.
00:45:39 It's not easy to have low pad level when you're 6 foot 6
00:45:43 and weigh 330 pounds.
00:45:45 That doesn't come naturally.
00:45:47 So that's impressive.
00:45:50 He spent a lot of time climbing to the second level
00:45:53 and seeking out backers and third level defenders.
00:45:56 And he's very effective on the move.
00:45:58 Again, a guy that size, that's not an easy trait to master.
00:46:01 He's strong.
00:46:03 He too rarely gives an inch in pass, bro.
00:46:06 But he's a pile move.
00:46:07 I mean, he creates running lanes.
00:46:09 Defenders don't escape once he's engaged.
00:46:11 Once he gets those big mitts on you, you're not going anywhere.
00:46:14 He might have had my favorite highlight out of all the tape
00:46:17 that I spent the last couple weeks watching.
00:46:20 He had a snap because he just plays to the whistle
00:46:23 every play.
00:46:24 He had a snap in which he literally
00:46:26 lost his helmet in the middle of the play.
00:46:29 His helmet completely came off and went rolling
00:46:31 down the field.
00:46:32 He didn't stop.
00:46:33 He actually pancaked a defender with his helmet
00:46:37 rolling down the field.
00:46:38 I'm like, he is an impressive specimen.
00:46:41 So bright future for him as well.
00:46:44 Yeah, I completely forgot about that.
00:46:45 I knew one of them did, and as soon as you brought it up.
00:46:48 We'll go and flip it over to the defensive side.
00:46:51 But first, another thank you to Fortis
00:46:53 for a performance of financial certainty guaranteed.
00:46:56 Make sure to visit fortis.us.com.
00:46:58 And we'll start with the front and work our way back.
00:47:01 Jed, I think West Virginia's got a nice little find here.
00:47:04 And Nate Gabriel, he's kind of an overlooked prospect.
00:47:08 And then you also have the edge rushers here,
00:47:10 which, I mean, my goodness.
00:47:11 I mean, how can you not like the kids
00:47:13 they're bringing in off the edge?
00:47:14 Elijah Kinsler, Abina Onwuka, MaKai Byerson.
00:47:18 I mean, there is some legitimate talent
00:47:20 that they have to work with there.
00:47:22 Abina, he's my number two.
00:47:24 He's my number two kid in this class, my number one
00:47:26 defensive prospect for West Virginia.
00:47:29 What do you like out of those guys?
00:47:32 Let's start with Nate Gabriel.
00:47:34 I will work our way through.
00:47:36 Nate Gabriel, another large human being.
00:47:40 He's going to be an early enrollee.
00:47:41 So he'll be on campus soon enough here
00:47:44 in the next handful of weeks.
00:47:45 You know, he went to the same high school as Aubrey Burks.
00:47:48 Aubrey Burks actually, I think, dated his sister.
00:47:51 So hosted him on his recruiting visit.
00:47:55 He's just incredibly disruptive and difficult to move.
00:47:59 He's a big man, but he plays even bigger than his size.
00:48:03 I mean, that's how he shows up on tape.
00:48:05 He's physical enough to battle through frontside blocks.
00:48:07 And this is one of the things you try and watch for
00:48:10 in a point of attack defender along a defensive line.
00:48:13 How do they handle frontside blocks?
00:48:15 But then how do they handle backside blocks
00:48:17 when they have to pursue?
00:48:18 From a frontside standpoint, he's definitely physical enough
00:48:22 to battle through those blocks.
00:48:23 Sometimes it's double teams, sometimes it's pullers,
00:48:26 to make the stop and even stone people.
00:48:28 But then when you run away and he's a backside defender,
00:48:31 he's incredibly relentless
00:48:32 and he can make those plays from the backside.
00:48:34 He just gets upfield so consistently and penetrates
00:48:37 and pushes the pocket.
00:48:39 He can impact things.
00:48:40 Even when he doesn't touch the quarterback,
00:48:42 he can still impact the play.
00:48:44 And when you go into some of the edge defenders,
00:48:46 let's start with Byerson.
00:48:48 Byerson is another kid from a quality program.
00:48:52 He's from Manchester, Virginia, big and strong, 6'4", 270.
00:48:57 What I liked watching these kids was
00:48:59 they played multiple spots along the D line.
00:49:03 They have an edge presence to them,
00:49:05 but they also had the girth and the strength
00:49:07 to hold their own at the point of attack on the interior.
00:49:10 And Mekhi Byerson, he has a very long frame.
00:49:13 And what stands out is he has an incredibly good feel
00:49:16 for the game.
00:49:17 He IDs screens quickly.
00:49:18 He uses his wingspan to anticipate and bat balls.
00:49:23 Fiery competitor, that's a theme that I saw
00:49:26 that I brought up to the defensive staff
00:49:27 in the show yesterday.
00:49:29 So many of these guys, because playing defense
00:49:31 can be an infectious behavior.
00:49:35 In other words, if you have this fiery dimension to you,
00:49:39 it can often rub off on the rest of the defense.
00:49:41 And so many of these kids that are defenders in this class
00:49:45 have that frame of mind to them.
00:49:47 They play the game very passionately
00:49:49 and it stands out the way they do.
00:49:50 But he hustles to the perimeter.
00:49:53 He delivers blows once he gets there.
00:49:56 He's very physical.
00:49:57 You watch him, he'll take on a counter tray,
00:50:00 the old school counter tray, and absolutely blow it up
00:50:03 and stop it in its tracks.
00:50:05 He's so strong.
00:50:06 I mean, there were times that you would see him
00:50:08 kick down to play some zero technique nose guard
00:50:11 in passing situations.
00:50:12 In other words, zero technique, instead of a shade,
00:50:15 you're playing heads up on the center.
00:50:17 So we view him as an edge rusher,
00:50:19 but he often in passing situations,
00:50:21 spent time heads up on the center
00:50:23 and made life supremely difficult for both the center
00:50:26 and thereby the quarterback.
00:50:28 It's just, he was disruptive
00:50:29 'cause he was pushing the whole pocket.
00:50:31 He fights to keep contained.
00:50:33 That's something that sometimes is difficult to coach,
00:50:36 but he seems to understand that
00:50:38 and he understands how to leverage the football.
00:50:40 So, I mean, what are your thoughts on Byerson to start with?
00:50:44 - I like Byerson a lot.
00:50:46 I think he's big and athletic.
00:50:48 I think he's going to get a little bit better
00:50:50 in terms of his fire off the ball as he gets older
00:50:54 and gets quicker and faster, stronger and all that stuff.
00:50:57 The thing I like about him is he doesn't give up on plays.
00:51:00 Like there was a few where I think he could have just,
00:51:02 you know, "Hey, the play's not coming to my side."
00:51:05 Or, you know, he was double teamed
00:51:07 and he fought through it and made some tackles.
00:51:09 I think he's really big, athletic.
00:51:11 Like I said, he's just a playmaker.
00:51:13 And with Obena, he's just so dang long, man.
00:51:17 Like he's long and just rangy, wiry.
00:51:21 Like I don't even know what adjective to describe him as,
00:51:24 but I think the theme with Obena, Byerson,
00:51:28 and more so Byerson and Kinsler,
00:51:32 is those kids, if they get a hand on you,
00:51:35 you're done for.
00:51:37 Like they wrap up really well.
00:51:39 Strong hands.
00:51:40 They can make an arm tackle.
00:51:42 Not that you want it to be, but they're just really strong.
00:51:45 And I think those guys are going to be able
00:51:48 to play sooner than later.
00:51:50 And I think Obena, once he fills out, too,
00:51:52 I think is going to be a big impact guy.
00:51:55 - He'll be another early enrollee.
00:51:57 - Yeah. - So, I mean,
00:51:58 that's a benefit there. He's very smart.
00:52:02 He's very instinctive.
00:52:03 What you like, there are certain attributes
00:52:06 you look from a football IQ standpoint.
00:52:08 Like on tape, you would see him,
00:52:11 they try and run counter and he wouldn't take the bait.
00:52:13 In other words, he wouldn't see the puller
00:52:16 and his radar would immediately go up.
00:52:17 'Cause a lot of times what they do on counter
00:52:19 is they're trying to get that five technique
00:52:20 to fall asleep and then smack him.
00:52:22 As soon as he saw the down block,
00:52:23 his radar went up and he was ready to engage that puller.
00:52:26 And so he brought the business to them.
00:52:28 He has a very quick step.
00:52:30 Gets upfield to hold the edge
00:52:32 and make plays versus Jesweep, another guy.
00:52:34 We go back to this theme of leveraging the football
00:52:36 and keeping contained.
00:52:38 That's not something you're born understanding
00:52:40 and appreciating how to do.
00:52:42 So it speaks well that all these edge defenders
00:52:45 have that trait.
00:52:46 He understands how to leverage the football
00:52:48 and it's hard to bounce things outside of him
00:52:51 because of that.
00:52:52 He's another guy with a very wide wingspan.
00:52:54 It's tough for the quarterback to escape his radius
00:52:57 once he starts closing in.
00:52:59 The margin for error is pretty great with him.
00:53:02 He can impact a play a lot of different ways
00:53:04 once he gets into the pocket.
00:53:06 And you'll frequently see him
00:53:07 without reaching the quarterback impact the play,
00:53:10 forcing a lot of bad throws,
00:53:11 a lot of throws in the traffic and things of that nature.
00:53:14 So that's another guy that is not just gonna hold the edge,
00:53:19 but it's also gonna be disruptive.
00:53:21 And when you look at Kinsler, Elijah Kinsler,
00:53:24 another early enrollee, he'll be here next month as well.
00:53:27 Another of these high energy animated defenders.
00:53:30 I mean, to me, you can't have enough of those kids
00:53:34 on that side of the ball.
00:53:35 You have to have a shark smelling blood mentality
00:53:38 and there's a pack mentality to good defenses.
00:53:42 And I like the fact that from Kinsler on down the line,
00:53:44 so many of these guys had that high energy quality to them.
00:53:48 When you're watching,
00:53:49 he's very strong at the point of attack.
00:53:52 In other words, don't underestimate his size
00:53:54 and his strength.
00:53:55 He gets the offensive tackle.
00:53:57 When you look at the tackle, we'll put them on his heels
00:53:59 and the next thing you know, he's just overpowering him
00:54:01 with a bull rush and the tackle has no chance.
00:54:04 He's relentless, but at the same time,
00:54:06 while being relentless, he's also under control
00:54:09 and don't accept that as a given
00:54:10 because that's not something
00:54:11 all these relentless defenders possess
00:54:14 is the ability to also control their approach.
00:54:17 But he plays to the whistle.
00:54:19 He's a sideline to sideline guy,
00:54:20 which is impressive at that size to be able to do that,
00:54:22 have the speed and the aggression to do that.
00:54:25 He too understands leverage.
00:54:27 He can take the ear out of a gap,
00:54:29 but he can also hold the edge.
00:54:31 He sniffs out screens.
00:54:32 Another thing that speaks to high football IQ,
00:54:34 how quickly can you ID and chase down a screen?
00:54:37 How quickly can you recognize the timing
00:54:40 of a quarterback's throw and get your paws in the air
00:54:42 to bat it down?
00:54:43 He has good timing, speaking of timing,
00:54:46 they like to run the stunt and twist game with him a lot
00:54:50 and he does have the timing
00:54:51 and it takes a certain timing to master that
00:54:55 because what you're trying to do is weaponize
00:54:58 the other defensive linemen
00:54:59 who you're working in tandem with
00:55:01 to make the most of your opportunity to hit that gap
00:55:03 and that's something that stood out.
00:55:05 He uses that scheme to his benefit.
00:55:08 He delivers the blow to pullers consistently
00:55:10 when they're trying to counter him.
00:55:12 Another thing that we see emerging with these D linemen,
00:55:16 he collapses things to the point of attack by doing that.
00:55:18 And there were times that once again,
00:55:21 yes, he's an edge guy,
00:55:22 but they kicked him down to play some three technique,
00:55:25 two technique, one technique.
00:55:26 In other words, just about every spot that you can play
00:55:29 over top and around an offensive guard
00:55:32 as a defensive tackle and be a one gap disruptor.
00:55:35 So it's one thing to have the skillset
00:55:37 to have the burst off the edge,
00:55:39 but it's another thing to be able to kick down inside.
00:55:41 And what that does,
00:55:43 it gives you versatility from a scheme standpoint,
00:55:45 because now if you populate your defensive roster
00:55:49 with enough of these types of guys,
00:55:51 when you do go with your sub packages,
00:55:53 you have the versatility to move these pieces around
00:55:56 as you see fit.
00:55:57 You can chop up the front,
00:55:58 you can ask an edge guy to get down and play a shaded nose
00:56:01 or get down and play a one or two technique.
00:56:03 And meanwhile, you have a backer playing the edge.
00:56:05 So it gives you a lot of different options.
00:56:07 And that's what I like about all these different edge guys
00:56:10 that we're talking about that give you that versatility.
00:56:13 - Yeah. Moving to the next level of linebackers,
00:56:16 they bring in a pair of them and Curtis Jones Jr.
00:56:18 from Midland, and then also Ricky Williams
00:56:22 from Archbishop Hoban in Ohio.
00:56:24 And Williams is interesting.
00:56:27 I think he's a really good run stuffer,
00:56:28 plays the run well.
00:56:29 I think they used him a lot in some blitzes,
00:56:32 pretty good pass rusher from the linebacker spot.
00:56:35 I'm really interested to see
00:56:37 the work Curtis Jones ends up.
00:56:39 And I think a lot of that will kind of depend
00:56:41 on how his body kind of transforms and fills out
00:56:45 because I can kind of see him playing different places
00:56:50 along that second level.
00:56:51 And I just don't know where he's going to fit.
00:56:53 Very good running back in high school though.
00:56:55 - He was an incredibly productive running back.
00:56:58 He's a heck of an athlete.
00:57:00 And again, when you talk to Luke Sammons,
00:57:03 the head coach at Cabell Midland,
00:57:05 they've done a good job with that program.
00:57:07 - Oh wow.
00:57:08 - Curtis Jones was an instrumental part of that.
00:57:12 He's another guy that, first of all, high value kid,
00:57:15 a 4.0 student, a total package.
00:57:17 He donates time at the food bank.
00:57:19 He's everything you'd want your own son to be.
00:57:22 So to welcome him into the locker room
00:57:24 says so much, that type of personality and that pedigree.
00:57:28 And speaking of pedigree,
00:57:29 he has family members that have been in the NFL.
00:57:31 He has the versatility to play multiple positions.
00:57:34 You saw that from his skillset at running back.
00:57:37 But when you watch what he was able to do
00:57:40 from a linebacker standpoint,
00:57:42 now first you have to bear in mind
00:57:44 what we've done defensively.
00:57:45 We basically transformed into a three-four defense.
00:57:48 And here's how that's different than from an on-stack look
00:57:51 or even a four-two-five.
00:57:52 You, in effect, you have,
00:57:54 and that's why you cross-train your Mike and your Will.
00:57:56 We talked so much after the Penn State game last year
00:57:59 with Trey and with Lee, both playing Mike and Will.
00:58:03 Well, it's because they become more creatures of the box.
00:58:06 I mean, traditionally in a four-three defense, for instance,
00:58:09 there's a certain skillset that you're looking at
00:58:11 of your single Mike backer as a creature of the box,
00:58:15 as a downhill run defender.
00:58:16 And you look, your Will backer more as a guy,
00:58:19 a speed guy who can chase things down from behind
00:58:22 because offenses tend to run things
00:58:23 to the strength of their formation,
00:58:25 which will be away from the Will.
00:58:26 But in a three-four, those traits,
00:58:29 the Venn diagram of those two positions overlaps more.
00:58:33 So that's why you're able to cross-train them.
00:58:35 So when you look at a guy like Curtis Jones,
00:58:38 I mean, you could easily see him landing
00:58:40 in either one of those spots.
00:58:42 And Jeff Koontz even said like,
00:58:43 "Look, the things that we did early in the season last year
00:58:46 with Trey Latham, from a run blitz standpoint
00:58:49 and from a pass rush standpoint,
00:58:51 the same type of things you could expect
00:58:53 to be able to do with Curtis Jones."
00:58:54 He's a very versatile athlete.
00:58:56 We talked about his production
00:58:57 on the offensive side of the ball.
00:58:59 He plays under his pads and that helps make him
00:59:02 a great short yardage defender.
00:59:04 You can never have too many of those.
00:59:06 He has that knack for sifting through traffic
00:59:09 and finding the football,
00:59:10 sifting through the trash to get to the ball.
00:59:13 He has a great timing as a blitzer.
00:59:15 That's one of those things that you either have
00:59:17 or you don't.
00:59:18 Some things you can coach, some things you can't.
00:59:21 He's very quick off the edge.
00:59:23 And he is a relentless pass rusher,
00:59:25 but he has good knee bend, very strong hands,
00:59:28 which puts him in position to shed blocks and secure tackles.
00:59:31 So I think that the sky could be the limit
00:59:34 in terms of the versatility that he brings to that room,
00:59:36 to that linebacker room.
00:59:37 And then when you look at Ricky Williams,
00:59:40 first of all, great team leader.
00:59:42 There was a lot of production there
00:59:43 in his junior and senior year.
00:59:45 I think he had 200 and some odd tackles, 250 or so tackles.
00:59:49 I mean, a ton of tackles his junior and senior year.
00:59:52 And Coach Coons talked about it.
00:59:53 He said, "Look, we went to practice at one point
00:59:56 at Archbishop Hoban."
00:59:58 And he said, "I got out there early before practice."
01:00:00 And he said, "Ricky's running a 75 team roster
01:00:04 through pre-practice and through calisthenics
01:00:06 and even through the early period of practice.
01:00:08 The staff wasn't even out there yet."
01:00:10 He said, "The level of faith it takes from that staff
01:00:13 to allow him to do that."
01:00:15 He said, "Those are the types of things that,
01:00:17 those are the cracks between the keys.
01:00:19 They don't show up on tape.
01:00:21 They only show up when you have a visit,
01:00:22 when you actually scout the kid and watch him in practice.
01:00:25 But speaking of tape, he is really fun to watch."
01:00:29 And as the former quarterback, I mean,
01:00:30 it takes a lot for me to say a defender is fun to watch,
01:00:33 but sometimes you come across these guys who are.
01:00:36 Ricky Williams was a fun guy to watch.
01:00:38 He's very active.
01:00:39 Another of those fiery defenders.
01:00:42 That's a theme that we keep doubling back to.
01:00:44 You can't get enough of that.
01:00:45 He loves contact.
01:00:47 He's an instinctive hitter.
01:00:49 He delivers that vicious shoulder blow,
01:00:51 that old school but legal shoulder blow.
01:00:55 I mean, there's a knack for that
01:00:57 that you either have or you don't.
01:00:59 And the other thing that stands out on tape,
01:01:01 he's very comfortable in space because of his athleticism.
01:01:05 He showed that he was a weapon as a pass catcher
01:01:07 for them offensively.
01:01:08 So he's a deceptively good athlete.
01:01:11 And he's another guy with incredibly good timing
01:01:13 as an interior blitzer.
01:01:14 It's one thing to have the timing
01:01:16 to be a blitzer off the edge.
01:01:18 This is what I talked to Jeff Koontz about.
01:01:20 I said, it's another thing when you watch this kid on tape,
01:01:22 he has that timing as an A gap blitzer.
01:01:25 And that's a whole different kind of timing.
01:01:26 And that's what stood out.
01:01:28 But he's so consistently just stoned people.
01:01:30 He's one of these guys who is a shark smelling blood
01:01:33 when he's after the football.
01:01:35 And he just explodes into an extra gear.
01:01:38 We talk about offensive guys who have an extra gear.
01:01:40 Well, sometimes you'll see it on tape with the offensive guy.
01:01:43 And Ricky Williams has an extra gear
01:01:46 when he's chasing the football to the perimeter.
01:01:49 You see that extra gear kick in
01:01:51 and he just lays wood when he gets there
01:01:53 at the point of attack.
01:01:54 So very impressive.
01:01:57 He would so often overmatch fullbacks or tight ends
01:02:00 against the run and blow things up.
01:02:02 So I think the sky could be the limit.
01:02:04 He's already six foot two, 230 pounds.
01:02:07 So he might be an early impact type kid.
01:02:10 - Yeah. I mean, especially like we said
01:02:12 with the injuries in that room, the youth in that room,
01:02:15 I think they're going to have to.
01:02:17 Moving to the secondary to round things out.
01:02:20 This is, I mean, this is a lot of interesting pieces here
01:02:24 because there's so many guys that I think could play corner,
01:02:28 could play safety, could play some nickel.
01:02:30 I mean, there's a lot of guys here
01:02:32 that we really don't know where they're going to end up.
01:02:35 But the two that stick out to me is Israel Boyce.
01:02:38 I have him as being a multi-year starter.
01:02:41 And then I was actually kind of surprised
01:02:43 I didn't really know if Neil would agree with this,
01:02:47 but Neil called Chris Henry the hidden gem
01:02:50 or whatever of the class.
01:02:52 The last two lines of my analysis here,
01:02:55 my scouting reporters or whatever you want to call it,
01:02:58 was in the right place at the right time, all the time,
01:03:01 and is a potential all league player.
01:03:05 I love Chris Henry.
01:03:06 I think that kid is going to be a stud
01:03:08 probably sooner than later.
01:03:11 What do you think about these guys in the back end?
01:03:14 - Well, let's start with Chris Henry.
01:03:16 When you watch the tape, another one,
01:03:19 Dunnell has a heck of a program.
01:03:20 And when you watch the tape, the versatility stands out.
01:03:24 I mean, they did a lot of different things with him.
01:03:26 He was Johnny on the spot.
01:03:28 He found his way to the football.
01:03:30 And irrespective of how he touched the ball,
01:03:32 he was always explosive when he did.
01:03:34 His ball skills jumped off the screen at you.
01:03:37 When he was playing corner,
01:03:39 he broke quickly and reacted well.
01:03:41 When he was playing safety,
01:03:42 he tracked the football so well when it was in flight.
01:03:45 He had great timing.
01:03:47 Conceptually, he'd fly downhill and fill the alley.
01:03:50 He was also relentless in pursuit.
01:03:52 And another guy,
01:03:53 we haven't talked a whole lot about special teams,
01:03:54 but another guy from a special team standpoint
01:03:58 that brings so much value
01:03:59 because a lot of these guys in this class
01:04:01 in different shapes and different sizes and forms
01:04:04 can do a lot.
01:04:05 But I had a chance to talk to Tommy Sutton.
01:04:07 And Tommy Sutton, when it comes to Chris Henry,
01:04:11 is just so incredibly excited about his future.
01:04:14 He's like, "Look, we got, from a background standpoint,
01:04:18 "when you look at Dunn-Ellin,
01:04:19 "Terrence Brooks played at Florida State,
01:04:21 "played for multiple NFL teams.
01:04:23 "Laurenti McCray played at Florida.
01:04:25 "Ernie Mills all the way back to his days at the Steelers."
01:04:28 They've had a lot of NFL kids there.
01:04:30 And he's like, "Look, in my 16 years here,
01:04:34 "Chris is among, if not the best team leader we've ever had."
01:04:39 He said, "He's more impactful
01:04:41 "than those NFL guys were at this age.
01:04:44 "He changes the environment of a locker room
01:04:46 "as soon as he walks in."
01:04:48 He said, "He's that type of kid."
01:04:50 He said, "I took the job his junior year,
01:04:52 "and we knew immediately he was the guy we looked to
01:04:55 "and we needed to play."
01:04:56 He said, "Right away, there was no doubt about it.
01:04:58 "He wanted us to lean on him in the biggest moments,
01:05:00 "the biggest games."
01:05:01 The biggest game in the country, or in the county,
01:05:05 was their rival game against Vanguard.
01:05:07 And he said, "Look, I remember in that Vanguard game,
01:05:10 "they ran outside zone and fumbled.
01:05:12 "And the next thing you know,
01:05:13 "Chris scooped and scored from 75 yards away
01:05:15 "and just absolutely electrified the sidelines.
01:05:18 "He's a playmaker in every way."
01:05:20 And actually, he played in the 68th Florida
01:05:24 Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Classic yesterday
01:05:27 in the middle of our show.
01:05:28 They were kicking off at one o'clock.
01:05:31 But he's another guy who's phenomenal on special teams.
01:05:34 And I mean, this is a kid who,
01:05:37 I mean, I think that's wise on Neil's part.
01:05:40 I also regard him as a hidden gem,
01:05:43 because I don't care what star rating
01:05:44 you put next to a kid like that.
01:05:46 - I don't know how he got over it.
01:05:47 - There's some things that you can't measure on tape.
01:05:49 There's some things that you can't measure
01:05:51 in a workout setting.
01:05:53 And he brings all those things to bear.
01:05:55 And, you know, jumping to Boyce, you talked about Boyce.
01:05:59 There were a lot of things.
01:06:00 Another early enrollee, he'll be here next month.
01:06:02 A quickness to break on the football.
01:06:05 He diagnoses route concepts very well.
01:06:08 Speaks to his football IQ.
01:06:10 He's 5'11", 180, but one of the things that stood out,
01:06:13 he plays longer than his frame.
01:06:16 So he's able to attack the football in traffic.
01:06:19 He forced a ton of fumbles.
01:06:22 And that doesn't happen,
01:06:24 A, unless you're around the football,
01:06:26 and B, unless you're a violent defender.
01:06:28 So he's all those things.
01:06:30 He's very relentless in pursuit.
01:06:32 He doesn't give up on a play.
01:06:34 He's a willing and able tackler.
01:06:37 He sets the edge defensively.
01:06:39 He played some safety, and what he did,
01:06:41 he didn't shy away from his run fits.
01:06:43 He's able to attack on space.
01:06:45 And this is another kid, versatility.
01:06:47 You saw him play field corner to the wide side,
01:06:50 played some boundary corner to the short side,
01:06:52 but he also played some nickel over top of the slot.
01:06:54 And he has the skill set to play the post
01:06:56 back at free safety.
01:06:58 And his ball skills really jumped off the tape
01:07:01 as a receiver.
01:07:01 So another guy that's going to bring a lot of versatility
01:07:05 to the table.
01:07:06 - Yeah.
01:07:08 There's a couple other guys there too.
01:07:10 You know, Zay Jennings, I think,
01:07:11 is an interesting prospect.
01:07:13 Jason Cross, I think, has a chance, probably, too,
01:07:16 to play, to make an impact early,
01:07:18 whether it's on defense or special teams.
01:07:21 But there's just a lot of versatility on this defense,
01:07:24 not only with the guys in the back end,
01:07:25 but the guys in the front seven as well.
01:07:28 So overall, I mean, this is a pretty strong class.
01:07:30 I mean, it may not check in high on the recruiting systems
01:07:34 and their ratings and stuff like that, but they never do.
01:07:37 I mean, they're always kind of somewhere
01:07:38 in between the 35 to 50 range,
01:07:41 and they always typically play above that.
01:07:43 And I think if you look at just the class last year,
01:07:46 I mean, look at what Neil and his staff did with that class.
01:07:49 It was kind of in the same boat
01:07:50 in terms of their star ratings or overall ranking.
01:07:53 Jaheim White was overlooked.
01:07:55 No one wanted Jaheim White.
01:07:56 And look at the player he became in just one year.
01:07:59 So there's plenty of examples of that, but...
01:08:02 - I look at the other safeties or DBs,
01:08:04 the other two that you just mentioned.
01:08:06 One of the things I like, Skyler,
01:08:08 is I struggle to settle on which of these in this class
01:08:12 of those back-end defenders I'm most excited about.
01:08:15 Because a lot of the things we said about Chris Henry,
01:08:18 I would say about Cross, and I would say about Jennings.
01:08:21 I mean, I'm terribly excited about both those kids.
01:08:25 Cross, of course, is a Pittsburgh PA kid
01:08:27 from Bishop-Canavan, but very physical, flies downhill,
01:08:32 comfortable near the box, great timing as a blitzer,
01:08:34 so instinctive with the ball in flight.
01:08:36 But I had a chance to talk to his head coach,
01:08:39 Richard Johnson, and he just could say
01:08:42 enough positive things.
01:08:44 He talked about, "Look, we had a game
01:08:47 against Stilton-Highspire in the opener.
01:08:49 It was number one versus number two in the state."
01:08:51 He said, "First play of the game,
01:08:52 we're in cover one man free."
01:08:54 And he said, "I kind of let him roam
01:08:56 and just be what, just cowboy up
01:08:58 and do what he wanted back there."
01:08:59 And they ran a stretch play to the wide side of the field.
01:09:02 He flies downhill through the alley, 13 yards,
01:09:05 and just smacks them for a TFL.
01:09:08 And he said, "I'm telling you."
01:09:09 He said, "He is just that type of kid."
01:09:11 He showed up as a 115, 120-pound freshman quarterback.
01:09:15 And even then, you knew the it factor was there.
01:09:17 He didn't back down from anybody or anything.
01:09:20 Just an incredible football player, an incredible asset.
01:09:23 When you look at Zay Jennings,
01:09:25 there's a reason that Chad Murphy is so excited about him.
01:09:28 Winston Woods is a very high-level program
01:09:31 in the state of Ohio.
01:09:32 In recent years, you talk about other defensive backs.
01:09:35 Well, in recent years, Jermaine Matthews,
01:09:37 if that name rings a bell, he's at Ohio State right now.
01:09:41 Michigan's Cameron Calhoun came from Winston Woods.
01:09:44 He's like, "Look, I would put what he can do
01:09:46 from a production standpoint right there with those kids."
01:09:49 So, again, Zay Jennings, physical defender,
01:09:53 high-energy, fearless tackler, great feel as a blitzer,
01:09:57 over matches, running backs and fullbacks and pass pro.
01:10:00 Plays smart, reads the quarterback's eyes.
01:10:02 He's downfield so quick.
01:10:03 He IDs things in the screen game.
01:10:05 He's disciplined in coverage.
01:10:07 When he played corner, they tried to double move him.
01:10:08 It never worked.
01:10:09 I really can't settle on who excites me the most
01:10:13 on the back end in this group.
01:10:14 And Skyler, in closing, I'd say this.
01:10:17 It'd be interesting, especially in today's age,
01:10:19 since the penetration of the portal and NIL,
01:10:23 I mean, you saw Ohio State's five-star receiver.
01:10:25 The reason he signed late was because he had
01:10:27 to get his NIL paperwork done.
01:10:29 I mean, that's what's driving this today more than ever,
01:10:33 even at the high school level.
01:10:34 So I wondered, if you have West Virginians,
01:10:37 forget what you're ranked.
01:10:38 First of all, it's gonna be harder to rank high these days
01:10:41 than ever before, but maybe one of the things
01:10:44 you have to attach to these ratings is a loyalty rating
01:10:49 or a commitment rating.
01:10:51 What level of commitment do you truly have
01:10:52 to the program, to the staff?
01:10:54 Now, it's always gonna be some guesswork.
01:10:56 Some of these kids won't be Mountaineers
01:10:57 in a couple of years.
01:10:58 That's just the nature of the modern game.
01:11:00 But the question is how many of them,
01:11:02 compared to other schools?
01:11:03 So let's say that you signed 20 kids
01:11:05 and you have the 40th ranked class in the country, okay?
01:11:09 Forget the star ratings.
01:11:10 Would you rather have 20 of those kids and 12 or 15 of them
01:11:13 still be here in a couple of years as the 40th ranked class
01:11:17 or sign 20 kids and have the 20th ranked class
01:11:19 and half of them are gone or 12 out of 20 of them are gone?
01:11:22 Or that's what you're looking at.
01:11:24 In other words, you need to somehow find a way.
01:11:27 And these are the conversations I had
01:11:29 with these high school coaches in the last couple of weeks.
01:11:31 You need to find a way to 60% or so of your roster.
01:11:36 You're gonna lose a 30 year roster.
01:11:38 So you're still looking at 60 some odd percent
01:11:40 that needs to be the foundation, bedrock foundation
01:11:43 of your program.
01:11:44 How many of these kids are candidates to be the foundation?
01:11:47 Those three and four year kids that will still be here
01:11:50 and cultivate the type of culture
01:11:52 and the type of locker room that you want
01:11:54 versus bailing out and jumping into the portal.
01:11:55 More power to you if you do, I'm not judging you.
01:11:58 That's just the nature of the modern game.
01:12:00 But I do think we have a puncher's chance
01:12:02 to have a lot of those type of long-term kids.
01:12:04 You're not gonna have all of them.
01:12:06 Please don't pull this tape back out in two years,
01:12:08 say, "Hey Jed, you said this and you said that."
01:12:10 I'm just telling you, I like our chances
01:12:12 to retain a little more than the average school.
01:12:15 - Yeah. - Based on long-term
01:12:16 relationships over the course of 18 to 24 months
01:12:19 that the staff has really forged with these coaches
01:12:22 and with these players.
01:12:23 - So what you're telling me is college football playoff 2024.
01:12:27 - It's 12 team, I like our chances.
01:12:31 - That's right. - That's the goal.
01:12:33 That's the goal.
01:12:34 - So great class from Neil Brown.
01:12:37 Again, they're probably not going to add
01:12:39 through the high school ranks in this cycle.
01:12:41 They'll probably take care of the rest of their needs,
01:12:44 either the portal or adding to the walk-on program.
01:12:47 So don't expect much movement in February,
01:12:50 but we will be seeing some of these guys again on campus
01:12:53 here in a few weeks, early enrollees, transfers,
01:12:56 whenever they get in.
01:12:57 And the portal season is still very much active.
01:13:00 So be sure to follow our content.
01:13:03 We've got a lot of stuff coming up for that.
01:13:05 And we'll dive into more of the transfers
01:13:07 when they come along as well.
01:13:09 And Jed, you and Owen and Wes will be breaking down
01:13:13 the Duke's Mayo Bowl here in my backyard
01:13:15 in Charlotte here coming up.
01:13:17 We got a couple-
01:13:18 - It should be me and Wes.
01:13:20 I got to track down Owen
01:13:21 because we're taping at quirky times this time of year.
01:13:24 We have to see. - That's true.
01:13:25 He's got his nose all up in these Christmas boxes.
01:13:28 But yeah, we got more content coming for you.
01:13:31 This would be the last time you see my face here
01:13:33 on the show before Christmas.
01:13:35 So Merry Christmas, everybody.
01:13:36 And that'll do it for us here today.
01:13:39 So once again, being here and telling here
01:13:41 about your favorite WV football podcast.
01:13:44 You've been in the gun.
01:13:46 (door opening)
01:13:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]