West Virginia off season thread

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With spring ball around the corner I will get this thread started

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WVU Officially Announces Addition Of Patterson

West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen has announced that Keith Patterson will join the Mountaineer coaching staff. Holgorsen will announce the coaching responsibilities of his new hires once his staff is complete.
Patterson comes to West Virginia after serving as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Pitt during the 2011 regular season and taking on the added responsibility as the interim head coach for the BBVA Compass Bowl in January.

“Keith has had a lot of successful years coaching at some great programs, both at the college and high school levels,” Holgorsen said. “His years of experience in developing players and defenses will be an invaluable resource to our program, while his background in Texas and Oklahoma will only add to our recruiting efforts."

Patterson brings 25 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels. At the collegiate level, he has helped lead two programs to seven bowl games, coached 13 all-conference selections, three All-Americans and has sent two players to the National Football League.

“Working at a place like West Virginia University with all of its history and tradition is a great opportunity for me,” Patterson said. “Coming off a conference championship and the Orange Bowl win, it’s an exciting time here, and now we have an even greater opportunity as we head into our first year in the Big 12 Conference. I have great respect for Coach Dana Holgorsen and what he has accomplished, and I appreciate and look forward to being a member of the Mountaineer football staff.”

In 2011, the Pitt defense was ranked No. 3 nationally in sacks (3.31), tied for No. 12 in tackles for loss (98),

No. 14 in defensive third-down efficiency (32.98), No. 21 in rushing defense (116.9), No. 35 in total defense (350.62) and No. 38 in scoring defense (22.4). The Panther defense placed five players on the Big East All-Conference teams and had one earn All-American honors.

Prior to Pitt, Patterson spent eight years at Tulsa, including the final five seasons in which he served as the co-defensive coordinator. He coached the linebackers from 2003-05, 2007-08 and 2010 and the safeties in 2006 and 2009. He was an integral part of the Golden Hurricane’s success during his tenure, helping lead Tulsa to 65 wins, one Conference USA championship, three division championships and six bowl appearances.

In 2010, he helped mold a defense that led the country in interceptions (24) and ranked third in turnovers gained (36). The Hurricane faced No. 24 Hawai’i in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and defeated the Warriors, behind the defense’s six turnover effort, including five interceptions.

His 2008 defense was No. 13 nationally in sacks and No. 37 in rushing defense. In 2006, Tulsa’s defense led Conference USA in total defense and pass defense under Patterson’s guidance. Tulsa was second in scoring defense and third in rush defense. The Hurricane ranked 11th nationally in pass defense and 21st in total defense, allowing only 159.2 passing yards and 296.8 total yards.

In 2005, he was instrumental in helping the Tulsa defensive unit rank among the tops in C-USA and nationally. That year, Tulsa was first in C-USA for takeaways , pass defense and pass defense efficiency; second in total defense and third in scoring defense.

Patterson came to Tulsa with 16 years coaching experience as a high school coach in Oklahoma and Texas. He spent two years (2000 and ‘02) as linebackers, defensive backs and special teams coach at Allen (Texas) High School. He also coached at Allen High School from 1995-96.

Before that, he was the head football coach at Ardmore (Okla.) High School for three seasons (1997-99). At Ardmore, Patterson led his team to the District 5A-1 Championship in 1999, while earning district coach of the year honors.

In 1994, Patterson was the head coach at Edmond Santa Fe (Okla.) High School. Prior to that, he served as defensive secondary coach at Edmond Memorial High School for two seasons (1992-93). He began his high school coaching career in 1988 at Altus (Okla.) High School, where he coached the outside linebackers and defensive backs for four years. He helped lead Altus to a state runner-up finish in Class 4A, while helping Edmond Memorial to a Class 6A runnerup finish in 1993.

He received his bachelor’s degree in health, physical education and recreation from East Central (Okla.) University in 1986. Patterson was a four-year letterman at defensive back at ECU from 1982 through 1985. In 1986, he served as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater. Patterson earned his master’s degree in kinesiology and sport studies in 2003 from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Patterson, and his wife, Melissa, have two daughters: Fallon and Erin; and stepdaughter, Bretlie and stepson, Kelby.
 

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WVA, what is former coach Stewart doing now? Does he still work for the university in some capacity? The guy has just fallen off the radar since getting booted.
 

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Thats the only thing I could find on him, To tell the truth I was glad he was gone and have not kept up with him
 

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WVA, what is former coach Stewart doing now? Does he still work for the university in some capacity? The guy has just fallen off the radar since getting booted.



he is still living in motown. his son plays qb for the high school team there. it was rumored he may join the steelers as qb coach, but im not sure if that happened. i still think he may be employed by the school. he would be a greeat fundraise type guy.
 

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Thanks Bud.

Stewart probably wasn't the right choice to replace Rich Rods but from everything I've heard about him, he is a good coach. Being an assistant and head coach is like day and night. Big difference and some have it and some don't.

I think the university paid him around $1 million to go away so he's not starving anyway.
 

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Slaughter Officially Joins WVU's Staff

West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen has announced that Erik Slaughter will join the Mountaineer coaching staff. Holgorsen will announce the coaching responsibilities of his new hires on Monday, March 5.

“Erik brings an extensive background with more than 20 years of coaching experience to the Mountaineer staff,” Holgorsen said. “Having spent his entire career as a coach and a recruiter in the state of Texas also gives him an outstanding knowledge and extensive network base that will increase our recruiting efforts in the Southwest as we enter the Big 12 Conference. I look forward to having him on the coaching staff here.”

Slaughter brings 22 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels. At the collegiate level, he has coached nine all-conference selections, three All-American honorees and has sent two players to the National Football League.

“It’s a great time at West Virginia University, coming off the Orange Bowl victory and heading into the Big 12 Conference this coming season,” Slaughter said. “WVU is one of the top programs in the nation, and I am excited to work with Coach Holgorsen and be part of the Mountaineer coaching staff. I look forward to helping the WVU football program carry on its strong tradition.”

He comes to West Virginia after serving as the defensive line coach at Stephen F. Austin for the past three years. During his time with the Lumberjacks, Slaughter helped lead SFA to a 25-11 record, two Southland Conference titles and two appearances in the NCAA FCS playoffs. The SFA defense finished with at least 40 sacks each year, the only team in the nation to accomplish that feat.

In 2011, Stephen F. Austin led the nation in sacks (48) and tackles for loss (112). The Lumberjacks were No. 14 in total defense and No. 24 in rushing defense. Under his direction, Slaughter helped convert Willie Jefferson from a tight end into one of the nation's top defensive ends. Jefferson was named the 2011 Southland Conference Player of the Year after leading the league with 16 total sacks. Along the way he set an SFA single-game record with 4.5 sacks against McNeese State, only to follow that up by tying the conference record (5.0) in the season finale at Northwestern State.

Malcolm Mattox was another leader on the 'Jacks' defensive front in 2011. As a sophomore, he earned second-team All-Southland Conference honors after finishing second only to Jefferson in the league in sacks. It marked the second-straight year that SFA has produced the league's top two sack leaders.

In 2010, Slaughter took Kenneth Charles, who spent the previous three seasons as an interior lineman, and turned him into a defensive end. Charles was selected for first-team All-SLC honors and earned All-American distinction. He capped a career year, finishing among the nation's top 15 in sacks and tackles for loss.

In his first season in Nacogdoches, Slaughter helped produce one of the nation's top defensive players in defensive end Tim Knicky. A two-time All-American and four-time all-conference selection, Knicky battled through injuries his senior season to record 15 tackles for losses, and finish second in the nation with 12.5 sacks (1.04 pg). Knicky was among the players considered for the 2009 Buck Buchanan Award, an award given annually to the top defensive player at the NCAA FCS level. The 2009 SLC Defensive Player of the Year, Knicky graduated from SFA as the school’s all-time sack leader.

Prior to his stint at Stephen F. Austin, Slaughter was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas A&M Commerce for one year. One of his pupils, defensive lineman Ricky Hope was named to four All-American teams.

Slaughter spent three years as the linebackers and strength and conditioning coach at the University of Houston from 2003-06. He helped lead the Cougars to two bowl games in his three seasons, the 2003 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and the 2005 Plains Capital Fort Worth Bowl. In 2004, Houston was No. 23 nationally in turnover margin. In 2005, outside linebacker Brendan Pahulu was No. 2 on the team with 94 tackles (22 solo, 72 assisted), as well as recording nine tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception.

He also served as the athletic director and head football coach at Glen Rose High in Glen Rose, Texas (2006-07), Springtown High in Springtown, Texas (2002), East Bernard High in East Bernard, Texas (2000-01) and Linden-Kildare High in Linden, Texas (1999). He was an assistant coach at Stephenville High in Stephenville, Texas, for nine seasons (1990-98).

While at Glen Rose, Slaughter led his squad to back-to-back district titles and an appearance in the 2007 state quarterfinals. Prior to his arrival at Springtown in 2002, the program had a three-year Class 3A record of 9-21, and in his first year, he guided them to the Class 4A state playoffs. He also helped lead Stephenville High to the Texas high school state championship in 1993, 1994 and 1998.

Slaughter graduated with his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, in 1990.

He, and his wife, Shawna Marie, have three children, Seth, Paige and Bailey.
 

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From One Side To The Other

Daron Roberts is back where he began his coaching career, on defense.

When spring practice begins for the Mountaineers on Sunday Roberts will be coaching the defensive backs. It’s the side of the ball he’s most familiar with since he played defensive back in high school and he also coached that position when he was with the Detroit Lions. It was a move WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen made after he hired his three new defensive coaches.


Roberts spent last year as the wide receivers coach and says spending one year on the offensive side of the ball and has helped him learn more about the defensive side of the ball.

“Receivers and corners are really two sides of the same coin,” explained Roberts. “I think you coach them very much in the same way and I really soaked up the offense the last year I was working with coach Holgorsen. Getting a chance to look and listen to how he would scheme for an opponent, week in and week out, really taught me a lot about offensive philosophy.”


“You don’t coach the guys any differently, but I think there’s a little added energy when it comes to the defensive side of the ball,” continued Roberts.

It wasn’t just spending one year on the offensive side of the ball that helped prepare Roberts for his move back to the defensive. The second year WVU assistant coach says watching and learning how Holgorsen prepares to take on a defense each week has helped him realize a few tips he can use on defense.


“The preparation I believe will really help me coach the corners and hopefully it will help us have some success on defense from a secondary stand point,” said Roberts.

“On the flip side. It’s my job now as a defensive coach to make sure our corners are always in the right position because they’re going to go against all types of offenses in the Big 12,” continued Roberts. “They’re going to be going at a fast pace and half of the battle is being able to get lined up quickly.”


Playing fast is another aspect Roberts wants to bring over to the secondary. Moving to the Big 12 Conference will be a big change for West Virginia and they will face faster and stronger offenses than they’ve faced in the Big East. Last season on offense, Roberts would work with the receivers on lining up fast and getting ready for the play. Tempo and speed is crucial to the success of Holgorsen’s offense. He wants to bring that kind of mentality to the cornerbacks.

“I think the importance of tempo is something that I understood from a defensive standpoint, but to really sit in an offensive meeting room and talk about how we can exploit a defense’s lack of discipline with tempo is something that really hit home to me,” said Roberts. “If you look at some of the opponents we had last year there were many times where our opponents weren’t even able to line up because we were going so fast.”


“The beauty of this situation is our offense does it,” continued Roberts. “So when we’re on 7-on-7s, when we’re in team run and team pass we’re going against a high tempo offense. It’s the best practice in the world.”
 

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Spring Football Underway For WVU

It was near perfect weather on Sunday in Morgantown as West Virginia completed the first of 15 spring football practices. It was a mostly a light day overall as the team got settled into its new spring season.

“It was a good first day. We had really good energy, and it was good to get back out there,” said Mountaineer head coach Dana Holgorsen. “After eight weeks of offseason, lifting and running, it was good to get back out there and take advantage of working with them from a technique standpoint and assignment standpoint.”


For Holgorsen, it’s year to with his offensive system at West Virginia – something he said will allow his team to work on some of the more detailed parts of the offense with so many returning starters. Defensively, however, it’ll be a bit slower as West Virginia moves from a 3-3-5 to a 3-4.

“The roles have been flipped,” Holgorsen said. “We’ve got a long ways to go on both sides. Offensively, it’s a lot easier to coach them because of how they’re going, but defensively there was a lot of coaching because they didn’t know where they were going. It will be fun to see how that plays out, get back out there and have another day of non-pads and we can talk what real football looks like.”


West Virginia has five newcomers in drills for the spring – part of this past year’s recruiting class that will actually be counted to 2011 because they enrolled for the spring semester.

“They’re all lost. Three of them are on defense, and everyone is lost on defense right now based on it being the first day regardless if they’re a starter or upperclassman, freshman or new enrollee,” Holgorsen said. “Their heads are spinning a little bit. All of them were extremely attentive, they flew around, they were eager to learn. I was pleased with their attitude regardless if it was a new guy or a returning starter.”


One of those new guys, of course, is highly touted quarterback Ford Childress out of Texas.

"He has tremendous talent,” Holgorsen said. “He’s physically very imposing with a phenomenal arm, which is exactly what we knew when we recruited him. On understanding the offense, obviously he’s got a long ways to go.”


Another key note to Sunday was the return of Josh Jenkins on the offensive line – he missed all of last season after undergoing knee surgery.

“He looked good, and he was happy to be out there,” Holgorsen said. “You’ve got to consider him as a returning starter. He went through a whole spring last year and was sitting in on meeting during the season, so he knows what to do. He’s happy to be out there; we’ll get him back into shape, and we’ve got some time to do that. He’s been full-time since we got back from the bowl game, which is running and lifting. Not a whole lot you can do other than that.”


West Virginia also practices on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of this week.
 

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Head Coach Dana Holgerson overlooks his offense. This was the first spring practice of 2012
 

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Matt Lindamood and Shawne Alston take off during a drill during the first football practice of 2012
 

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Quinton Spain and Josh Jenkins collide during a drill. This was the first spring practice of 2012
 

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Head Football Coach Dana Holgerson and Running Backs Coach Robert Gillespie oversee the first spring practice of 2012.
 

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Defensive End Will Clarke finishes a drill during the first spring football practice of the 2012
 

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Quaterbacks Paul Millard, Geno Smith and Ford Childress prepare to pass to receivers during the first spring practice of 2012.
 

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Tavon Austin prepares to receive a punt in the first spring practice of 2012
 

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Dana Holgorsen Spring Practice Quotes

West Virginia University

Spring Football Practice No. 1 - March 11, 2012

Football Coach Dana Holgorsen

Opening Statement

It was a good first day. We had really good energy, and it was good to get back out there. After eight weeks of offseason, lifting and running, it was good to get back out there and take advantage of working with them from a technique standpoint and assignment standpoint. The bottom line is that it was the first day and without pads, but from an offensive perspective, it was where we were a year ago defensively. From a defensive perspective, it’s where we were offensively a year ago. The roles have been flipped. We’ve got a long ways to go on both sides. Offensively, it’s a lot easier to coach them because of how they’re going, but defensively there was a lot of coaching because they didn’t know where they were going. It will be fun to see how that plays out, get back out there and have another day of non-pads and we can talk what real football looks like.



On the weather

It was a beautiful day. It was awesome. We didn’t have one day like this last year. There was a big ole cloud above our head for a long time. It’s good that it is gone, and it was good to get out there. I didn’t think this weather existed here in March or April. We kicked around the Sunday thing for a long time. Just getting them back into the rhythm of a work week, I think is going to be good for us. Last year, we did mornings, which I didn’t like. Getting them back on Sundays, they don’t need to worry about school, but can be back ready for school on Mondays, study hall is open tonight, so they’ll get back to thinking about school on Monday morning. For every college kid across the country, it’s always been a struggle to get them thinking about school until they wake up on Mondays. That’s going to work out good for us.



On overseeing other segments of practice

I didn’t do that at all last spring. Throughout camp, I trusted these guys on the offensive side, which is why we hired them. It was easier. I understand the scheme a little better now, and the coaches a little bit better, and I understand the players a little bit better now. It’s more productive for me to go watch a drill or a segment.



On progress on day one for the mid-year enrollees

They’re all lost. Three of them are on defense, and everyone is lost on defense right now based on it being the first day regardless if they’re a starter or upperclassman, freshman or new enrollee. Their heads are spinning a little bit. All of them were extremely attentive, they flew around, they were eager to learn. I was pleased with their attitude regardless if it was a new guy or a returning starter.



On working with the offense for the second year and not having to install a new offense for the first time in three years

It felt good. I probably did less coaching today than I’ve done the last three springs. It was more like it was with Case Keenum coming back at Houston. After you’ve coached him for a year, you didn’t have to tell him a whole bunch. Back when we had Graham Harrell coming back for a second year, everything looked good. Geno looked poised, so we didn’t have to say a whole lot to him. It helps to have four linemen coming back that know what to do, five if you add Quinton Spain in there who took snaps for us. He had four receivers that he was throwing to, five with Ryan Nehlen, that all had taken reps in games. That makes it a lot easier. Then you have four or five backs that took reps last year. It’s a natural progression for year two. We’re really happy with where we’re at right now.



On having upperclassmen step up during the spring

It’s not as important now as it will be in the summer. We have 24 guys coming in this summer. We have two new guys out there right now, Jordan Thompson and Ford Childress. We’ve got 14 guys on offense coming in with a whole slew of receivers, which will give us a whole bunch of depth. The summer time is when it’s important. Right now is our time to coach whoever is out there. When June and July hit, there’s nothing we can do from a coaching standpoint. That’s when it’s important for the guys who go through spring to understand what we’re doing to coach those guys.



On being able to see who has developed over the offseason

All of them. We met on every kid this morning. We’re really pleased with Mike Joseph and his staff on what they did with these guys over the course of eight weeks. We feel that they’re all better physically than they were eight weeks ago. After the long grind of the season, you’ve got eight weeks to get them back into shape. We feel like we’re in pretty good shape right now. Over the next five weeks, hopefully we can maintain that and get better at playing football. The biggest gains from a physical standpoint come in June and July, because we can’t do anything with them from a football standpoint. You’ve got 10 weeks for getting after them from a physical standpoint.



On the progress of Josh Jenkins

He looked good, and he was happy to be out there. You’ve got to consider him as a returning starter. He went through a whole spring last year and was sitting in on meeting during the season, so he knows what to do. He’s happy to be out there; we’ll get him back into shape, and we’ve got some time to do that. He’s been full-time since we got back from the bowl game, which is running and lifting. Not a whole lot you can do other than that.



On how the new coaches are doing

They’re all hoarse right now. I actually have my voice right now. I usually can’t talk in these press conferences after practices. They’re the hoarse ones now. I just talked to all of them, and they couldn’t talk. We go so fast in between practice and in between plays that they don’t have a whole lot of time to coach, so they’ve got to yell. They’re hoarse.



On helping the defense progress

We’re baby-stepping them more than we did the offense. We threw a lot at them in three days, and we’re taking it more slowly with them than we were able to last year. Last year, defensively, we had a lot of returning guys in the system they had run for eight years. They were able to do a whole lot more early. Offensively, we throw a lot at them and keep repeating it, but defensively we’ll spoon-feeding them, and it may be three or four weeks into spring ball before we get the majority of it in.



On helping the offense keep focused knowing the defense is young

I’ll just have them watch the South Florida game or the Pitt tape. Our defensive guys are watching some of that Pitt tape, which naturally I see some of that just walking down the halls. I’ve got a couple tapes I can put on if I need to. It’s about live reps at game speed. When you get into game weeks, it’s more about preparation, but that’s not something that’s been discussed too much.



On receiver battles

We constantly evaluate them. J.D. Woods looked good today. I’ll probably kick myself by saying that. He looked good. Ivan McCartney looked good. Ryan Nehlen looked good. But it’s non-padded, so you’re supposed to look good. Those guys know where they’re going and from a tempo and timing standpoint, on the same page as Paul and Geno. They’re supposed to look good. It’s always, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ If somebody has a bad week, then we’ll replace them with somebody else pretty quickly. I don’t remember how many receivers we signed or how many we’ve got coming in, but there’s a reason we signed a whole bunch of them. That’s going to develop a whole bunch of depth come summer and fall camp.



On building off hunger from the bowl game

I saw it out there today not only from a team standpoint, but a confidence standpoint that came through lifting weights and the offseason competition and conditioning. The guys have gone to study hall and gone to class, so it’s all helped the program.



On a comfort level or sense of urgency on offense

There’s a lot of sense of urgency out there right now. One of the things we’ve talked about over the past nine weeks is if you think you’re comfortable with what we’re doing, then you’re going to get passed up. If you think you’ve got it figured out, that’s an on-going thing that will never change.



On Ford Childress absorbing the system

He has tremendous talent. He’s physically very imposing with a phenomenal arm, which is exactly what we knew when we recruited him. On understanding the offense, obviously he’s got a long ways to go. He looked like Paul did last year, when he first got here. I’m sure he looks like Geno did when he first got here. He’s a tremendous talent that’s going to take time and reps for him to be comfortable with it like Geno and Paul are.



Once we get pads on, there’s a lot more to talk about.
 

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Q&A: West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen
By David Ubben

West Virginia are the new guys on the block in the Big 12, but its coach has been around the Big 12 block plenty. Dana Holgorsen did stints at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State (with Houston in between) before being named the Mountaineers' head coach.

The Mountaineers kicked off spring practice Sunday, but he took some time over the weekend while in New York for the Big East men's basketball tournament ("It's a great event. ... It's the Garden, man, and it's right in the heart of the Big Apple," he said) to talk to ESPN.com.

Portions of this interview were cut for length.

We missed you in the Big 12 last season, but it looks like we're getting you back, finally.

Dana Holgorsen: Yeah, I was only gone a year.

What's been the best part of this whole transition process?

DH: The transition really takes place next year, not this year, so we really haven't been -- it hasn't been a whole lot different right now. We're excited about it, no question. What's cool about it is I know what we're getting into. I've been at every venue, and I've seen every team. I know what's out there and I know what we've got to do to get better and be able to compete.

Missouri talked a bit about shifting its recruiting focus some from Texas into Atlanta and Florida. What have you guys done that you wouldn't traditionally be doing this time of year?

DH: Nothing, really. Our recruiting base is still going to be the same recruiting base. We have been getting into Texas some little bit and we'll continue to get into Texas. You've got to focus primarily on the Dallas and the Houston area that have the airport next to it so you can get back and forth pretty quick, so we're just going to go get a lot out of Florida. I think we took 12 out of Florida this year. There's a whole lot of pretty good football right around here in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Maryland and Virginia and we don't need to change where we recruit too much.

Seems like every school that leaves a league -- Nebraska and Colorado, for instance -- faces a different set of challenges. What do you see ahead as the biggest challenge for West Virginia?

DH: I don't care where you're at, everybody's challenged in facilities. You've got to make sure that you have the best and going into the Big 12, all Big 12 schools' facilities are as good as there is in the country. You've got to be able to keep up with whatever the other schools are doing just based on the recruiting aspect of things. That's a challenge that everybody has to figure out. Other than that, the program is in great shape, our kids are good and the support is good, where we're at and all that is in pretty good shape. It's just trying keep up with what everybody else is doing. It's an arms race, you know.

The history you do have in this league, where will that show up the most and be an advantage vs. entering this league with a coach that wouldn't have the experience you do?

DH: Like I said a minute ago, I just know what we're getting into. I'm very familiar with what every team does and I've hired a lot of coaches who understand how things work in the Big 12 and what schemes are and what players are like and what the atmospheres are like. There's not a whole lot of unknowns when it comes to me going to play other teams and other venues and all that. There's a whole lot of unknowns for the rest of the league having to come to Morgantown, because nobody's ever been here. So, I feel like that's an advantage for us.

You guys are obviously a big geographical outlier. You hear Louisville and Cincinnati's names come up when people talk Big 12 expansion. What are your thoughts on Big 12 expansion, specifically as it relates to other Big East teams?

DH: Obviously, it came down to Louisville and West Virginia to get in this past time, so if they do expand, I would assume that Louisville would be the first team that would get in. From a geographical standpoint, I think it'd be fantastic. The one thing that I think is pretty cool about 10 teams is you play every team. When you start getting into 12 teams and 16 teams, you don't play everybody. Last year in the Big East, with eight teams you played everybody and everybody knew who the best team was based on head-to-head matchups.

Back on the field, Jeff Casteel is gone, but with Keith Patterson and Joe DeForest taking over the defense, what can we expect?

DH: Familiarity with who we're playing is incredibly important. They're going to understand that side of the ball, the people and the players, the atmospheres, I mean, that was one of the reasons we hired who we hired; they were going to be familiar with the teams we're going to play. It's all about the one thing Joe preaches more than anything, which is not to worry about giving up a play. Everybody's going to give up a play in the Big 12. The offenses are so good, but if you give up a play, it doesn't mean that you're going to lose a game. Oklahoma State was fantastic with that last year with him and (defensive coordinator Bill) Young. They just keep playing and make a play at some point to win the game, get turnovers and play with tremendous effort no matter what happens.

The 3-3-5 stack has been pretty ingrained in West Virginia's identity. With the new guys coming in, does that mean the 3-3-5 is officially dead at West Virginia?

DH: Yeah, what's always given me the most problems is the 3-4. It's just a lot of movement and a lot of stemming and showing looks and not necessarily what you line up in is what you're going to get. I think the 3-4 gives you the best opportunity to do that. So, Oklahoma State did that a little bit with Joe, but Keith Patterson, from a front standpoint, has been doing that. I've coached against him the past four years at Tulsa, and between the two of them, they're going to put something out there that's pretty tough to play against.

Anything else I should know?

DH: (Quarterback) Geno (Smith)'s playing well. For his first offseason -- we didn't really have him last year because of a foot injury -- we're getting a lot of work out of him right now and he's really improving himself from a physical standpoint. I can't tell you how special I think Tavon Austin is. He's one of the most dynamic guys I've coached. We should get a little bit more out of him next year than we did this year. Those two guys are special. They've got a chance to make a difference in this league.

I'm excited to see those guys on a week-to-week basis. I'll be heading your way next month. I've never stepped foot in West Virginia, so I'm looking forward to it.

DH: It's a unique place, it really is. It's really, really, really pretty. There's all kinds of stuff going on and it's probably the best-kept secret in the United States. These people are pretty passionate. I'm telling you, you're going to see nothing but blue and gold when you step in this state.

ncf_u_holgorsen_ps_300.jpg

A full offseason of work has helped QB Geno Smith, right, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said
 

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Spring Football: Players Meet With The Media

West Virginia completed day two of spring practice on Tuesday in Morgantown – after drills, the players had their first opportunity to talk with the media since winning the Orange Bowl back in January.

One of the key stories of the spring is the return of offensive lineman Josh Jenkins who missed the entire 2011 season due to knee surgery – that coming from an injury suffered in the spring game last year.

“You never know when your last snap is,” Jenkins said. “Mine could have been last spring, so it definitely made me have more appreciation for the game and enjoy this more - you only get to do this once in a lifetime.”

While Jenkins didn’t get to play a down in 2011, he did get to take everything in and was still involved in learning West Virginia’s new offense from a year ago.

“I've been here for awhile - I'm an old man now,” he said. “They just got done with these plays, so I've watched their hand placements. Jeff Braun has been helping me out with the plays, and Joe Madsen has been telling me what I need to do on some plays, so it's definitely helping me now.”

Another guy who’s been in Morgantown for awhile is senior quarterback Geno Smith – he said it’s a significant difference this spring working head coach Dana Holgorsen’s offense compared with having to learn it all last season.

“I feel much more seasoned - I'm not trying to figure things out like I was last spring. I have a better understanding of the offense, and I can teach the younger guys a little bit more than I was able to in the past,” he said. “Overall, I think I'm doing a great job at making my reads, progressions, timing and footwork. I'm making sure I understand what I have to do as a leader, and I'm making sure the offense runs at a good tempo.”

Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the story there is obviously moving from a 3-3-5 to the 3-4. It’s a change that linebacker Doug Rigg said should be a smooth to make the transition.

“It's easier than the last defense I had to learn, but it's about getting out the stuff we learned in last year's defense and transitioning to this defense,” he said. “A lot of times, I'm doing stuff that would be right in other defenses but it's wrong in this one.”

West Virginia has practice again on Thursday.
 

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