Under the Radar
August 16, 2005 11:30 AM | General
August 16, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A lot has been made of the arrival of highly touted running back Jason Gwaltney, whose proclamation on national television that he was coming to West Virginia University last February had Mountaineer fans from Weirton to Welch rushing out to their local sports shops to buy number 14 jerseys.
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| Freshman Steve Slaton is expected to play in the season opener at Syracuse on Sunday, Sept. 4.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
And while Gwaltney has not disappointed, there is another quality running back in camp that has the coaches just as encouraged. His name is Steve Slaton and he’s got that extra gear and toughness that fifth-year coach Rich Rodriguez has come to expect out of his running backs.
“Other than being fast, he’s also a physical guy for not being 220 pounder,” said Rodriguez. “He’s got good size and he’s very fast, plus he’s a conscientious young man. It’s important to him, he pays attention and he’s learning.
“Steve and Jason have both done a good job of learning and correcting their mistakes,” Rodriguez added. “They’re still making mistakes and you can see their heads spinning but not as much as freshman usually would.”
Slaton’s ability to grasp the offense and make plays has put him in a position to play a lot of football this year. Rodriguez says both Slaton and Gwaltney will not redshirt this season and will play in the season opener against Syracuse.
If you have even remotely followed the Levittown, Pa., resident’s football career it should come as no surprise.
It was Slaton who was primarily responsible for turning around a Conwell-Egan Catholic football program that had won 10 games in a season just three times in its history. That is until Slaton’s 1,832 yards and 25 touchdowns helped propel CEC to a 10-3 record in 2004. It was the school’s first 10-win season since 1969.
“Just look at our wins and losses before he came here and our wins and losses once he came,” Conwell-Egan coach Kevin Kelly recently told the Newtown Advance.
Steve was the star of the Bob Sands Memorial All-Star game played in Hershey, Pa., earlier this summer scoring two touchdowns and nearly returning a kickoff for another score. Slaton helped the South team to as 38-35 come-from-behind victory. He was also invited to play in the Pennsylvania-Ohio Big 33 all-star game but declined after deciding to enroll in summer school for the second session.
Slaton believes the time spent in Morgantown was well served.
“You couldn’t really prepare for what we are doing in camp but I’m in a lot better shape after what we did this summer,” he said.
Slaton’s original intention was to go to Maryland, making an oral commitment to the Terps during the fall of his senior year, but he changed his mind when they told him they were more interested in him playing defensive back than running back.
“I liked Maryland at first. I didn’t have much of a deal with West Virginia but then after I committed I didn’t have the same feeling about Maryland and I wanted to keep my options open,” Slaton said.
Slaton says his decision to look elsewhere was amicable.
“I felt it was mutual. They weren’t disappointed and I wasn’t disappointed,” he said.
The running back decided to turn his attention to West Virginia and he soon liked what he saw. He knew the Mountaineers ran the ball and he knew there would be opportunities there despite not researching the program that closely.
“I didn’t really look too much into the running back situation,” he said. “I knew a couple of guys were leaving and I felt like I had a different style of running. I committed right before Christmas.”
Slaton’s decision was final even after Gwaltney made his selection to attend WVU a couple of days before signing day.
“It really didn’t matter. I was happy. His style doesn’t really affect mine,” Slaton said.
And while Gwaltney is a punishing, straight-ahead runner that moves piles, Slaton is better suited out in space where he can turn on the jets and out-run defensive backs. The two backs are really complimentary in every way. Slaton is currently playing the H position where he will be asked to line up at slot receiver at times, too.
“All of the backs we have are different style runners. I feel I’m more of a speed guy and they can use a lot of that,” Slaton says.
Slaton wasn’t utilized much as a receiver in high school, catching only five passes. But he says he can catch the ball. Slaton is also a candidate to see time on special teams.
“I think I’m moving up and I feel that I can help out on special teams,” he said. “Day by day the more film I watch and the more reps I take I feel like I’m getting better.”
Slaton admits he would like to get bigger and isn’t against redshirting if that is what was to be asked of him. He says his ideal weight is probably about 200 pounds.
“I don’t know how the coaches feel about that,” he said.
Slaton says the tempo and pace of practices is something he’s still getting used to, as well as having the necessary patience running behind WVU’s zone blocking schemes.
“In high school it was more of whatever I see I take it. I could pick whatever side I wanted to run to. Now I have to be more patient, read my blocks and wait for everything to open up,” he said.
The reality has also begun to set in that he’s about to play in his first college football game in just a few weeks.
“I don’t think it’s that much because it’s always football, football. I’m prepared for it,” Slaton remarked.
As for Gwaltney, Slaton says he doesn’t feel slighted in the least that most of the attention has been centered on him.
“I didn’t feel I was under the radar at all,” he said. “I just knew I had to come in and work just the same as he has.”
