Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU's Belk Seeking More Depth at Corner
April 05, 2018 02:28 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The meeting room second-year West Virginia University cornerbacks coach Doug Belk is overseeing has a couple of empty chairs that he hopes to have filled before the beginning of fall camp.
Right now, junior Hakeem Bailey is the Mountaineers' most proven corner having appeared in 11 games, logging 35 tackles and six pass breakups but no interceptions last season as a sophomore.
The 6-foot, 192-pound Iowa Wesleyan Community College transfer's performance last spring and during fall camp got him into the mix immediately in the season opener against Virginia Tech.
He had eight tackles and two tackles for losses against the Hokies and also started the East Carolina game before losing his starting spot to freshman Kenny Robinson and then eventually to senior Elijah Battle when Robinson was moved to safety.
"Sometimes (Bailey) played aggressively and sometimes he didn't," Belk said recently. "I think he's at a place now where he has more confidence. He knows the scheme better, and he's much better with technique and the things that you need to be successful at this level."
What Belk has done this spring is challenge Bailey to play more aggressively and consistently so that shows up when the games count this fall.
"Make the mistakes now and make it tough now so when game time comes he's ready and playing with confidence and can help us," he said.
Converted safety Derrek Pitts Jr. and Copiah-Lincoln Community College transfer Keith Washington have gotten the bulk of the work on the other side of Bailey at right corner.
Pitts, a former four-star safety prospect out of South Charleston High, performed solidly as a backup last year and demonstrated his perimeter cover skills in West Virginia's nickel and dime packages.
That is when the coaches determined that he was capable of moving to corner.
He brings a level of physicality to the corner spot that the defensive coaches are always seeking.
"He's very fluid and most of all he's fearless," Belk noted. "He's played in the box so tackling isn't something he's going to shy away from."
Pitts is a lot like fellow sophomore Robinson in that his versatility and athleticism can easily accommodate a position swap and bring more value to the team.
He's behind the others technique-wise, but he's catching up quickly.
"He's very skilled and talented," Belk said of Pitts. "He has a little bit different skill set than Kenny, but I think he can be an excellent corner if he continues to develop and works hard."
The third corner right now is Washington, a former prep quarterback from Prattville, Alabama, who signed out of high school with Michigan.
Belk knew a little bit about Washington when he worked on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama and is very familiar with the Prattville High program, which regularly produces Division I players.
Washington moved to defense early in his career at Michigan but left Ann Arbor to continue his career at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi, where he was rediscovered by Belk.
He played in nine games there, finishing the season with just 20 tackles and a couple of picks, but put enough on tape to get the Mountaineers interested.
"When I was at Alabama, our starting safety was from Prattville and we had a lot of guys from the Montgomery area so that helped the recruiting process and knowing the kind of kid he was," Belk said.
Washington's performance in spring ball has justified the offer, and it looks like he is going to be a strong contender for a starting bid this fall.
Like Pitts, he's still learning the position, though.
"Keith is different. He's serious. He's quiet, and he plays with a chip on his shoulder," Belk noted. "He was the best quarterback in the state of Alabama his senior year and transitioned halfway through his time at Michigan to playing defensive back, so he's still learning the position.
"Athleticism, length and speed … he has that. He's done well, and we're excited about the way he's going to grow and his future here," Belk added.
What Washington brings to the table that the other two corners don't have is a little more height - 6-feet-2 inches - and some more length required to cover some of the lanky Big 12 receivers West Virginia is going to face this fall.
Pitts and Bailey stand 6-feet tall while the two other corners that have gotten most of the work this spring, Buckeye State sophomores Sean Mahone and Jake Long, are each 5-feet-11 inches.
"Playing the corner position is a lot different than playing a lot of positions because the majority of the time you're asked to guard that guy in front of you and sometimes you can do it and sometimes you can't," Belk said. "Some are better than others. We want for them to eliminate the mental errors and see them continue to grow."
Belk said West Virginia is actively seeking a graduate transfer to add competition to the position later this fall. Specifically, the Mountaineers could use another corner with some length in the 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-2 range to help better match up against the taller outside receivers they are going to face this season.
Although these guys are not easy to find, the good news is corner is one of the few positions on defense where a new guy with ability can come in and play right away as Iowa transfer Maurice Fleming did a few years ago.
They hope to have someone on board soon to get their numbers there right heading into camp.
"It's a position of need, especially the way that we like to play and also the league that we play in," Belk explained. "You need to play multiple guys. You need guys game ready because you've got so many guys with the ball on the perimeter. Some of the teams we play are using seven, eight, nine different receivers in a game so it's hard to get through a game with just two corners.
"We need guys to come along and come along fast," he added. "I have confidence in the group, but I don't think we're nearly at the point where we need to be yet."
Belk said it would be great if his cornerback rotation was set after 15 spring practices, but that's not going to be the case because there are still a lot of moving parts.
Also, a lot can happen between now and the summer before camp begins.
"A couple of months in the summer with those guys to work with the strength coaches and then you go to another month before we play our first game," Belk pointed out. "That's a lot of time to see what guys can do."
The Mountaineers have one final spring practice scheduled for this afternoon before inclement weather is expected to move into the Morgantown area this weekend.
A rare April snowstorm is expected to blanket the area with three to six inches of accumulation and has forced the cancellation of this year's Gold-Blue Spring Game on Saturday.
The announcement was made earlier today.
Right now, junior Hakeem Bailey is the Mountaineers' most proven corner having appeared in 11 games, logging 35 tackles and six pass breakups but no interceptions last season as a sophomore.
The 6-foot, 192-pound Iowa Wesleyan Community College transfer's performance last spring and during fall camp got him into the mix immediately in the season opener against Virginia Tech.
He had eight tackles and two tackles for losses against the Hokies and also started the East Carolina game before losing his starting spot to freshman Kenny Robinson and then eventually to senior Elijah Battle when Robinson was moved to safety.
"Sometimes (Bailey) played aggressively and sometimes he didn't," Belk said recently. "I think he's at a place now where he has more confidence. He knows the scheme better, and he's much better with technique and the things that you need to be successful at this level."
What Belk has done this spring is challenge Bailey to play more aggressively and consistently so that shows up when the games count this fall."Make the mistakes now and make it tough now so when game time comes he's ready and playing with confidence and can help us," he said.
Converted safety Derrek Pitts Jr. and Copiah-Lincoln Community College transfer Keith Washington have gotten the bulk of the work on the other side of Bailey at right corner.
Pitts, a former four-star safety prospect out of South Charleston High, performed solidly as a backup last year and demonstrated his perimeter cover skills in West Virginia's nickel and dime packages.
That is when the coaches determined that he was capable of moving to corner.
He brings a level of physicality to the corner spot that the defensive coaches are always seeking.
"He's very fluid and most of all he's fearless," Belk noted. "He's played in the box so tackling isn't something he's going to shy away from."
Pitts is a lot like fellow sophomore Robinson in that his versatility and athleticism can easily accommodate a position swap and bring more value to the team.
He's behind the others technique-wise, but he's catching up quickly.
"He's very skilled and talented," Belk said of Pitts. "He has a little bit different skill set than Kenny, but I think he can be an excellent corner if he continues to develop and works hard."
The third corner right now is Washington, a former prep quarterback from Prattville, Alabama, who signed out of high school with Michigan.
Belk knew a little bit about Washington when he worked on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama and is very familiar with the Prattville High program, which regularly produces Division I players.
Washington moved to defense early in his career at Michigan but left Ann Arbor to continue his career at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi, where he was rediscovered by Belk.
He played in nine games there, finishing the season with just 20 tackles and a couple of picks, but put enough on tape to get the Mountaineers interested.
"When I was at Alabama, our starting safety was from Prattville and we had a lot of guys from the Montgomery area so that helped the recruiting process and knowing the kind of kid he was," Belk said.
Washington's performance in spring ball has justified the offer, and it looks like he is going to be a strong contender for a starting bid this fall.
Like Pitts, he's still learning the position, though.
"Keith is different. He's serious. He's quiet, and he plays with a chip on his shoulder," Belk noted. "He was the best quarterback in the state of Alabama his senior year and transitioned halfway through his time at Michigan to playing defensive back, so he's still learning the position.
"Athleticism, length and speed … he has that. He's done well, and we're excited about the way he's going to grow and his future here," Belk added.
What Washington brings to the table that the other two corners don't have is a little more height - 6-feet-2 inches - and some more length required to cover some of the lanky Big 12 receivers West Virginia is going to face this fall.
Pitts and Bailey stand 6-feet tall while the two other corners that have gotten most of the work this spring, Buckeye State sophomores Sean Mahone and Jake Long, are each 5-feet-11 inches.
"Playing the corner position is a lot different than playing a lot of positions because the majority of the time you're asked to guard that guy in front of you and sometimes you can do it and sometimes you can't," Belk said. "Some are better than others. We want for them to eliminate the mental errors and see them continue to grow."
Belk said West Virginia is actively seeking a graduate transfer to add competition to the position later this fall. Specifically, the Mountaineers could use another corner with some length in the 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-2 range to help better match up against the taller outside receivers they are going to face this season.
Although these guys are not easy to find, the good news is corner is one of the few positions on defense where a new guy with ability can come in and play right away as Iowa transfer Maurice Fleming did a few years ago.
They hope to have someone on board soon to get their numbers there right heading into camp.
"It's a position of need, especially the way that we like to play and also the league that we play in," Belk explained. "You need to play multiple guys. You need guys game ready because you've got so many guys with the ball on the perimeter. Some of the teams we play are using seven, eight, nine different receivers in a game so it's hard to get through a game with just two corners.
"We need guys to come along and come along fast," he added. "I have confidence in the group, but I don't think we're nearly at the point where we need to be yet."
Belk said it would be great if his cornerback rotation was set after 15 spring practices, but that's not going to be the case because there are still a lot of moving parts.
Also, a lot can happen between now and the summer before camp begins.
"A couple of months in the summer with those guys to work with the strength coaches and then you go to another month before we play our first game," Belk pointed out. "That's a lot of time to see what guys can do."
The Mountaineers have one final spring practice scheduled for this afternoon before inclement weather is expected to move into the Morgantown area this weekend.
A rare April snowstorm is expected to blanket the area with three to six inches of accumulation and has forced the cancellation of this year's Gold-Blue Spring Game on Saturday.
The announcement was made earlier today.
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