Getting Defensive
February 07, 2008 05:55 PM | General
February 7, 2008
 |
||
| Doc Holliday |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Many coaches preach that defense wins championships. That philosophy is a guiding principle for first-year West Virginia Coach Bill Stewart, who signed 15 defensive players to his inaugural 23-man 2008 recruiting class.
The Mountaineers are looking to reload on defense after losing seven starters from last season’s team that finished No. 6 in the nation following a 48-28 destruction of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
“When I was hired I knew we needed immediate defensive help here at West Virginia University,” Stewart said. “The first thing we did was go out and get two great defensive coaches in Steve Dunlap and David Lockwood. I wanted to get defense in place first.”
That mentality was evident on Tuesday when Stewart announced the signings of eight defensive linemen, five defensive backs and two linebackers. West Virginia is looking to rebuild a defensive line that lost Keilen Dykes to graduation and Johnny Dingle, who opted to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
The staff believes they did just that with the signing of Tevita Finau. The 6-5, 290-pound lineman comes to WVU from Phoenix Community College and was one of the most highly regarded JUCO players in the country this past season, earning second team All-America honors after collecting 90 tackles, nine sacks and 20 tackles for losses.
“This young man might be the finest defensive player in the country today,” Stewart said. “He is heck of football player and one fine young man.”
Finau will be joined by a pair of Phoenix College teammates in defensive backs Brantwon Bowser and Courtney Stuart.
“Courtney looks identical to Ryan Mundy. I think and I hope that he will play like Mundy,” Stewart said. “He is a big, good looking guy, he can make plays, and I know he came because of what our defense can do. It’s a dream to be a safety and play for West Virginia University.”
Bowser is already enrolled in school along with Coffeyville Community College defensive end Larry Ford from Georgetown, S.C.
Corey Freeman will look to give the Mountaineers another solid option along the defensive line. The Cleveland Heights, Ohio, native earned first team all-state honors after producing 14. 5 sacks and 30 tackles for losses.
“He is a neat young man, who is a tremendous competitor. He gets off the ball and he has the chance to become an edge player for us,” Stewart said. “That is what we need in a 3-3 stack. He is fast. We went out and recruited some speed.”
Defensive end Bernard Smith also pledged to the West Virginia from Mays High School in Atlanta. The 6-2, 220-pound Smith earned first team all-state honors after accumulating 125 tackles, 12 sacks and 22 tackles for losses his senior season.
“He is high-motor, high-engine and when you put film on of his he looks like a sprinter coming out of the blocks,” Stewart said. “It’s amazing the explosion this guy brings to the table.”
West Virginia got four defensive players from Florida. Six-three, 260-pound Jorge Wright is another defensive lineman in the class. Wright had 62 tackles and 18 sacks as a senior at Dr. Krop High School in Miami and was selected to play in the Dade North-South All-Star game. He is believed to be a steal, having received late interest from schools such as Auburn and Tennessee.
“This guy was offered by some schools down south and he’s just a tremendous young man,” Stewart said. “We turned this guy from a couple of SEC schools and a school up north not too close to us.”
Linebacker Ja’tavious Miller comes to WVU from Pahokee, Fla., where he earned first-team small-school honors and was a second-team all-state selection after finishing with 109 tackles, eight sacks and 20 tackles for losses.
“Wow, can this guy go! On the home visit I asked his mother and grandmother if he had always been like this because he is non-stop, full speed and to see this guy on film inside of a huddle-all I can say is wow,” Stewart said. “He commands respect instantly, and it has been so great to get him on board.”
The other two Florida kids slated for defense include 5-9 defensive back Jerome Swinton and 6-6 safety Robert Sands. Swinton earned first team Class 4A all-state honors and is the fastest player in the class with a 4.31 forty time.
“The best football player we have and he is not a very big man,” Stewart said of Swinton. “We were generous with the height and weight but don’t worry about that because the speed is real. The guy can run, he’ll hit you and he’s probably the best football player we recruited.”
Sands was a Miami Herald Dade County Top 25 pick who earned second team all-state honors. Sands will have a chance to provide immediate help in the defensive backfield.
“You can’t believe what an athlete this guy is at 6-6 and 205 pounds. This guy has a bright future as any young man who has been here in years,” Stewart said.
With the signing of 15 quality players in the 2008 class, the future looks bright for the West Virginia defense as well.
