MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – So, how does a dude from Wildwood, Missouri, end up in Morgantown, West Virginia, anyway? By threading the needle, of course. 
 
That's how Mountaineer center Chase Behrndt ended up in Almost Heaven.
 
Zac Huerter, a former Michigan State player, knew former Mountaineer offensive line coach Ron Crook and introduced Behrndt to him during a random encounter they had at a prospect camp in Detroit.
 
"(Crook was) like, 'We would have never found you in a million years if you weren't there that day,'" Behrndt recalled.
 
One thing led to another and three years later, Chase Behrndt could very well end up being West Virginia's starting center when the Mountaineers take the field on Saturday, Aug. 31 in the season opener against James Madison. 
 
That in itself is hard for Behrndt to fathom considering he came here as an offensive guard who has now played for three different coaches – two at one time when Crook was unknowingly getting phased out by Joe Wickline.
 
His most recent coach, Matt Moore, is probably the most open-minded about Behrndt's capabilities coming into things with eyes wide open (and they've been very WIDE OPEN from the moment the team hit the practice field this spring).
 
In the meantime, Behrndt also spent three months with former defensive line coach Bruce Tall a couple of years ago, so it's really difficult to get a true gauge of what he can do because he's never been in one place long enough to learn what to do.
 


"The part that was the most insane about it was I had Crook and Wick for maybe three months and then got switched to coach Tall and had to do that the whole time," Behrndt explained. "Then I got switched back to Wick so really, I've had a new coach each year I've been here."
 
Each new coach means new expectations and new ways of doing things, which can be very unsettling for an 18- or 19-year-old. 
 
Then, Behrndt gets Moore and the first thing Moore tells him is he's moving him to center. More changes.
 
"His body type is a center," Moore explained. "He's smart. He's been around long enough where he's respected, and he's got great voice control and communication skills. That's the big thing, being able to communicate with the other guys."
 
And blocking the guy in front of him would be helpful, too.
 
Things didn't go too well for Behrndt and the other guys on the offense line during their first scrimmage of the spring. Vic Koenning's defensive players were like the German Panzers plowing through France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands during the early stages of World War II because there were so many openings in West Virginia's line.
 
Some of that was to be expected, however, with right guard Josh Sills sitting out and the rest of the guys trying to learn a new offensive system while blocking Koenning's hide-and-seek defense.
 
"Everything is a little different with a new thing," Behrndt explained. "In general, that's the way it would be with anything when you're not used to something. That first scrimmage was the first time we had ever done that with these guys so you are kind of tip-toeing in the water a little bit."
 
Which is not a good thing when the guys on the other side are going full-speed ahead. 
 
But since then the offensive line has been slowly but surely improving. The second scrimmage was much better for them and the group continues to develop with Behrndt handling the football.
 
Lined up beside him at right guard is Sills. Massive Eastern Arizona Community College transfer Michael Brown is taking most of the one reps at left guard (you can read more about him soon), while seniors Kelby Wickline and Colton McKivitz are playing the two tackle positions.
 
Redshirt freshman Briason Mays continues to get work at center and guard, while last year's backup center, Jacob Buccigrossi, is expected back this summer to give the offensive line additional depth.
 
"We really need as many as we can get," Behrndt admitted.
 
McKivitz and Sills have the most experience, but Behrndt is where everything starts because he has the ball in his hands on every play. And since almost everybody watches where the ball goes, all eyes will begin on Behrndt.
 
"The offensive line is sometimes the first to blame and out of the entire offensive line the center is usually the first to blame. It's kind of double," he laughed. 
 
Nevertheless, Behrndt believes he is getting better with each rep he takes.
 
"The more that I played last year the more it came naturally to me," he explained. "If you would have thrown me there my first couple of years it would be like, 'Wow, I don't even know how you came up with that front?' But I got a good amount of reps last year, and it really started flowing naturally.
 
"I walked up at guard and it was like, 'Okay, this is an even with a Mike right' so I was already kind of able to (call out fronts)," he continued. "With a different offense coming in you've got to learn a couple new things point-wise, and really that's all I've had to learn."
 
Now that he's finally found a home after three years at West Virginia, Behrndt can focus on realizing his full potential.
 
"I've been fighting for it every day, and I'm going to continue fighting for it and we'll see if we end up there and have it stick," Behrndt said. 
 
Meanwhile, back at his old home in Wildwood, about a 30-mile drive west of St. Louis on Interstate 64, Behrndt says people there have begun to readily identify him with West Virginia University having watched him play games on television.
 
He's one of just of two Show-Me-Staters to ever play at WVU, the other being Syracuse transfer Cory Winfield a couple of years ago.
 
"I'm amazed by how many people out in the area are like, 'Dude, that's a great school!' They knew the whole coaching staff and everything about our entire team, honestly," he said.
 
Behrndt is also coming to realize that Mountaineers are everywhere, including suburban St. Louis.
 
"I'll be driving around and you see the little silver West Virginia (stickers) people put on the back of their cars," he mentioned. "I'll probably see one or two of those a day and I'm like, 'Wow, West Virginia fans are everywhere.' The culture here is insane."
 
The Mountaineers continue spring work later today leading into Saturday's Gold-Blue Spring Game to be played inside Milan Puskar Stadium at 1 p.m. 
 
Advance tickets are available online through WVUGAME.com.