West Virginia's 'Run-On'
April 12, 2005 09:52 AM | General
April 15, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Walk-on Arlen Dorsey’s attempt to travel up West Virginia’s depth chart will be much easier than his journey to Morgantown. Dorsey, a running back, actually sought out the Mountaineers after spending nearly three years at Nassau (NY) Community College getting a two-year associate’s degree.
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| Junior Arlen Dorsey has opened some eyes with his tough running in spring scrimmages.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
But Dorsey’s time at Nassau is really just the beginning of his story.
Growing up near Chicago, problems at home led to Dorsey quitting high school after his junior year in 1999 and forcing him get a GED in lieu of a high school diploma. Dorsey says he was a pretty good athlete and played football well enough as a junior to receive recruiting interest from some Midwest schools.
“I didn’t play my senior year and only half my junior year,” he said. “After that I didn’t think I would ever play football again.”
Soon afterward, Dorsey’s family moved to New York and he got a desire to play the sport again. At the very least he thought it would be a way to finish what he started.
“I found Coach (John) Anselmo and as soon as he met me he took me in and gave me a shot at playing,” Dorsey said.
At Nassau Dorsey says he was mostly used as a blocker.
“I was bigger than the rest of the running backs,” he said. “Even though I may have been just as skilled as the tailbacks I was asked to block for them. I didn’t mind because we were winning.”
According to Dorsey, he had a great desire to return to the Midwest and Illinois was interested but he couldn’t get into school because the Big Ten has very strict junior college transfer rules.
“I went to a recruiting trip to the University of Illinois because I was trying to get back to my hometown,” he said. “When it all panned out at the end of the year when my grades came out I needed more credits due to a Big Ten rule for transfers.”
Desperate to find a place to go, Dorsey began seeking out schools. Rutgers, Temple and Connecticut knew about him and were interested, but he says he approached West Virginia because he liked the way the Mountaineers fought back in a game they eventually lost to Miami in the Orange Bowl – the game when Quincy Wilson made a name for himself running over a Hurricane defensive back to score the go-ahead touchdown.
“I saw a lot in that and that turned the switch on for me,” he said. “I was like that’s the team I want to play for and that’s where I want to be.”
Dorsey says he ran into WVU recruiting coordinator Herb Hand while he was on a recruiting visit to Nassau and made a couple of follow-up calls.
“He’s a good kid,” said Hand. “His coach called me and told me he wanted to walk on. He was already accepted in school and he showed up and went through the walk-on tryouts.”
Dorsey is quick to note that he isn’t a walk-on but rather a “run-on.”
“A walk-on you just walk on,” he said. “When they told me to come I ran on.”
Dorsey spent last year as a scout team running back. This spring he has shown an ability to make things happen with the football. In last Saturday’s scrimmage Dorsey ripped off a 33-yard run against the second-team defense and finished with a scrimmage-best 51 yards on just seven carries.
That effort caught the attention of West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, who has always had a soft spot for walk-ons being one once himself.
“The one thing about Arlen is he’s a tough guy and it’s important to him,” said Rodriguez. “He’s still confused and goes every which way. But every time we scrimmage he comes and competes and when a guy does that you’ve got to find a spot for him.”
Realistically, Dorsey has an uphill battle to see playing time at running back. West Virginia already has three proven runners ahead of him on the depth chart in Jason Colson, Pernell Williams and Erick Phillips, and three more touted high school runners signed to join the team in the fall.
But Dorsey is undeterred and the one thing that is to his advantage is his size: he’s 6 feet 1 and weighs 210 pounds. Only Colson is bigger among the backs here right now.
“It makes me stand out a little bit because I’m pretty versatile,” he said. “I can block and I can run. Jason and my body types are similar and he’s had great success here. Hopefully I can share some time in the backfield.”
In order to do that, Dorsey knows he’s got to get a better understanding of the offense. More importantly, he’s got to convince Rodriguez and offensive coordinator Calvin Magee that he knows it.
“If I learn the offense and become a player that they can trust then I think I can get some playing time,” he said. “Coach Magee is worried about him being able to trust me because I’m new and I’m learning the offense. It’s not that easy but he’s teaching me everyday.”
Dorsey, 22, has just two years of college eligibility remaining and admits the clock is ticking on his career. That’s why he is so determined to show the coaches something during the scrimmages.
“In scrimmages I go out with the mind frame where this is where I have to shine because if I don’t then there’s nothing for them to see. When they give me the ball I want to run like it’s my last time.
“I have to find some way to get my foot into the door,” he said.
Judging from his previous two performances in scrimmages, he may have already done that. And based on his persistence in just getting to Morgantown, perhaps we will be hearing some more from Arlen Dorsey in the near future.
