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Player and Assistant Coaches' Summer Update
June 30, 2016 05:18 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University assistant coaches and select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Thursday, June 30, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Assistant Coach (Running Backs) Ja’Juan Seider
On what he’s seeing with the guys this summer
Well everyone is eager right now. All of our guys hear about the expectations of how we’re not going to be that good. All it’s doing is fueling the engine. The guys are working hard. To have this many guys in this early, you already have numbers enough to go compete in camp right now even with some of the walk-ons. You have good depth, you have guys competing hard and working and pushing each other. We have to go out there and get ready to play Missouri.
On how he brought Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood to check out what’s going on
Well we have a bunch of the guys coming in this week and next week. It’s good to get those guys back around. Those are the guys that they’ve played with, and those are the guys that have made it to the level that they want to play on. We have Wendell (Smallwood) out there working out there with the guys, just to see a guy you’ve played with, to see him leave and come back. You’re always trying to pride yourself on being good alumni, coming back and giving back to your brothers. They’re the guys you have sweat with for the last three years, so it’s great anytime you can get those guys to come back and help motivate those guys, especially the younger guys. The freshmen coming never had a chance to play with those guys and see how they work, so you kind of hope it rubs off on those guys.
On what he’s seen out of freshman running back Martell Pettaway and junior running back Justin Crawford
With (freshman running back) Martell (Pettaway), the thing that you can jump at right away is that you can tell he’s been running track. He looks really good right now. He has great feet. Just watching him run - he’s competing already. They haven’t really been thrown in the fire yet but just watching the way he moves around, he has quick bursts up the field. He’s been timed from 10.6 to 10.7 in the 100 meters during track. I didn’t’ know he was that fast. I knew he had some good wheels on him, but that exceeded my expectations for him coming in especially with the size that he is. (Junior running back) Justin Crawford is everything you want from him. He doesn’t know what he’s doing yet. The way he leads, he’s not afraid to get on guys already. If he sees a guy slacking or a guy who needs to be picked up that’s the thing you that you like about him - that jumps out at you right away. He’s different in a good way. He has good quick bursts. Quick feet. Subtle stuff that he can make people miss. It’s going to be exciting in fall camp getting to work with those guys full time, because they don’t know right from left right now. They don’t get to watch film or stuff like that in practice, so they don’t know how to make a correction yet. Just being around those guys and having (redshirt junior tight end/fullback) Elijah (Wellman) and (redshirt senior running back) Rushel (Shell), the older guys, kind of pushing them and showing them the way - that’s the best learning tool for the summer anyways.
Assistant coach/offensive coordinator/fullbacks-tight ends) Joe Wickline
On summer workouts
It’s been very productive. Coach (Dana) Holgorsen and the staff has laid a plan out for what we need to do for our kids academically and from that point on, the rest of the staff took over. (director of strength and conditioning) Coach Joseph, (assistant director for strength and conditioning) Darl (Baur), (strength coach) Chad (Snodgrass) and those guys have such a big part in what our guys do, and since it is volunteer time, we are here and been around for the players and have been talking to them. We have very limited time with them, but so far we feel good about it.
On limited contact with players during the summer
Again, everything is volunteer. It’s country wide. We’re all governed by the same body. When we have time, we will go over some things. We have appropriate windows of time. We visit a little bit here and there, and we find out if we can get visited by guys. We’ll watch some cut-ups and find out what we do wrong and what we do right. Most of it is conditioning, it is time to get better, time to get faster, time to get stronger and more powerful. It has been a very productive summer in that perspective.
On development at the tackle position
I think the big thing is from what we wanted to do and what we wanted to see production wise from all the guys, is that this is a time to get in good cardio shape, this is a time to get strength, this is a time that you are away from football but now we’re building it. It is going to continue on. We are in phases now. It went spring football and now we are in the summer. Then we are in two-a-days and the season. As far as the tackles go, I think we’ve seen them get better and better. I know they worked on foot work, and they worked on their weight, weight distribution, balance and flexibility. From what I have seen, they do a good job.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On relying on veteran players on defense
(Redshirt senior defensive lineman) Christian (Brown), (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Noble (Nwachukwu), (senior defensive lineman) Darrien Howard, (redshirt junior linebacker) (Al-Rasheed) Benton, (junior safety) Dravon (Askew-Henry), (senior safety) Jeremy Tyler, those guys are always good to have around the young guys to make sure they are learning the right way. If they have questions on the field, because obviously we can’t be out there with them, it is good to have guys who have played a little bit. Last year was much easier because we had eight seniors starting. We have a lot of holes to fill. Hopefully these guys are bringing the new guys up to speed.
On the impressions of new defensive players
We have been able to watch them work out a little bit and run around. I like the size of some of the new defensive backs that we have. They look a little longer, and they look athletic, but until you get the pads on and the everyday grind of going out and hitting and practicing, it’s tough to tell at this point what we are going to get out of them.
On the importance of summer programs
It is very important to be able to sit down and watch film with them for 45 minutes a day and just go over the installs. What we’ll do is we’ll install different coverages, fronts, blitzes, and we have eight of those sessions. Then we turn around and do it again in August with the same eight to start, so there should be some familiarity at that point. The bad part about summer, you meet with them, and they go out and do this stuff on their own. I don’t know if they are making mistakes while they are doing it. We can’t watch them. We can’t film it, so you kind of count on the older guys to correct those mistakes. It’s not the same when we are actually out there coaching them.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Bruce Tall
On what he sees physically and with the weight room
I think some of the younger guys are stronger. It’s just that they don’t have some of that natural strength that the older guys have who have been doing it for years. We have a good group of older guys who help the younger guys and bring them up to par. They’re close than you would think strength wise, the younger guys.
On if freshman defensive lineman Reese Donahue is ahead of the curve as far as strength
I would say that would be a good analysis, yes.
On if he can see anything in terms of conditioning
We ran the law school hill this morning, so you can see where we are and where we need to get to. It’s a great challenge. It’s fun to watch them compete and get after it. Also with all of the construction it’s hard to get in that atmosphere, so it’s nice to do that. Now we do meet with them. We’re allowed to do certain things with them, but watching video with them. We give them a little taste of that to keep it working, so once camp starts they’ll be ready to roll.
On if they’re ahead schematically
I feel good. We’ll see. Until we can actually start doing football type drills then we’ll have a better grasp of that.
Senior quarterback Skyler Howard
On summer workouts
It’s going good. When you go into a summer, working hard is the key thing. Getting everyone to buy in as a whole, as a family and as a football family. The one thing that we are working on right now is a football family. Every team is different. Every team is a different family. We have done this in the past, so I know you have heard me and other people talk about it, but it is restarting every year. We had a lot of new freshmen introduced to new traditions and the culture of being on this team and bringing them up to speed.
On his leadership role as a senior
There are certain things that you can do, not really a lot of that going on yet. because they are just now getting here. Just now as in this is their first week. They are struggling right now so they don’t want to do, and it’s not that they don’t want to do it; they just physically can’t do the extra stuff right now. We just ran the hill this morning and being introduced to Law School hill they are probably somewhere laying down right now.
On what he is working on individually this summer
Knowledge, it is all up here (points at head) with me right now. The spring was feet, feet, feet, working on my feet, the mechanics part of it. I still have to keep that stuff up to maintenance, but right now it is all knowledge, all up top.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Ka’Raun White
On difference between this year and last year
This year I am conditioned a lot better, and I am motivated more. I understand the things I have to do as far as helping out the team and being a leader so it has been good.
On comfortability in the offence
It is pretty good. We do extra work a lot so (senior quarterback) Skyler (Howard) and I are getting our communication down. So it is looking good.
On (senior quarterback Skyler Howard) this year
He is a lot more relaxed and comfortable, and he is looking good so far.
On what assistant coach/ receivers Tyron Carrier has been emphasizing
Just sticking to our routes. Creating separation from the defensive backs. Just sticking to our routes, pumping our arms and getting to the ball and making plays when we get the ball, so just footwork mostly.
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Tyler Orlosky
On when he first started playing football to now
It goes all the way back to like fourth grade. I was 10 maybe, so 12 years ago. It’s been a long journey.
On if he ever got a carry at all when he was young
Believe it or not I did. I was the running back and linebacker when I first started playing. Clearly I’m not the same thing.
On his goals
I think our goals, you have to look at our team goals before you can start looking at individual goals. Our team goals are to win the Big 12’s, get to a good bowl game and get a possibility to play in the playoffs. That’s our goal for now.
On if he looks at the magazines to check out the other teams
I don’t. I don’t. I could care less what’s going on anywhere else
On if he looks at the scouting reports or Missouri
Not until camp is when I start looking at Missouri. You can’t be overconsumed by football. Right now is the time to get ready and prepare for football, but it’s also a time to get away from it also and relax from it a little bit before you play a 13-game season.
Junior safety Dravon Askew-Henry
On the first unit and what he likes about them
You have (senior safety) Jeremy Tyler who’s a great player and good tackler. I feel like he’s going to do well. (Redshirt senior cornerback) Rasul (Douglas), (redshirt senior cornerback) Antonio Crawford at the corners. I feel like those two are also going to do well. They’ve been working hard. For the spur, you have (junior safety) Kyzir White, (redshirt junior safety) Marvin Gross (Jr.) and (redshirt senior safety) Jarrod Harper. I feel like we have more depth than we did last year, and I feel like everyone should do alright.
On what he likes about junior safety Kyzir White
Well first off, he’s a big dude. He’s very aggressive, and I feel like he can get the job done.
On how things have changed for him
I just continue to work and do what I have to do. I just try to lead by example.
On what he can take to the young guys who are going to be playing a lot of snaps
Just tell them to do reps in practice over and over again, work hard in the weight room and everything else will pay off. Film studying. I feel like everything else will pay off.
Senior safety Jeremy Tyler
On how there are two new coaches in the secondary
It’s a positive thing because everyone is going to work and prove to the coach that they can work. They’re very tough minded. They want to put out for the blue and gold.
On the open competition once camp starts
It just makes everyone better. It makes the team better. Once we have guys competing against other guys, then the sky is the limit. You might show talent that you’ve never seen before. That you never knew that you could do. The competition between the guys is great.
On if not having guys such as Karl Joseph and KJ Dillon gives the other guys more to fight for
Losing KJ (Dillon) and Karl (Joseph), Terrell Chestnut and Daryl Worley, we all have a chip on our shoulder now. Everyone’s saying we’re not going to be this, we’re not going to be that, but I feel like this team is as good as the last team. We’re going to have to keep working, every day. Just getting better. I can see it right now. I like it.
On how much he learned from those guys
I learned a lot from those guys. They came in day in and day out ready to work. They had focus and passion for the game. That kind of rubbed off on me. You have to have your mind clear, and think about what you’re doing before you do it.
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Noble Nwachukwu
On defensive line outlook
I think with all the pieces that we have coming back, we will be a good defensive team. If we keep listening to coach and keep getting better, we should be fine.
On summer conditioning
Yes, summer has been good. I feel like we are getting a lot stronger and getting in shape. We are just getting ready for the season. Last year was good, but I am trying to do even better this year. I have to pick it up.
On if his redshirt year helped him avoid being fatigued at the end of the year
I think that it helped to a certain extent. I still ran into a wall, but it was better than if I did not redshirt.
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