Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
And They’re Off!
August 02, 2019 03:13 PM | Football
IMORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Roster additions and deletions were the big topic of discussion when coach Neal Brown met with the media following West Virginia's first practice of fall training camp on Friday morning.
The first-year coach mentioned a handful of players who have been added to the team since the conclusion of spring drills and were previously reported on by various news outlets.
Among those are graduate transfers George Campbell from Florida State and Reuben Jones from Michigan, two high-energy guys West Virginia added to inject life into the locker room. Campbell was once a highly sought wide receiver prospect whose career at Florida State never really took off due to injuries.
Jones, a 6-foot-4, 250 pounder from Lakeland, Florida, is another heavily recruited player seeking reinvigoration for his final collegiate season.
"We want guys who not only have a passion for the game of football but a passion for life," Brown said Friday afternoon.
Junior college transfers Noah Guzman from Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, and John Hughes, from Navarro College in Navarro, Texas, are four-to-play-three JC guys who were also recently added.
Guzman, a safety, was discovered at Cerritos by assistant coach Blake Seiler, and Brown's familiarity with the Navarro program goes back to his days as offensive coordinator at Texas Tech. Brown indicated Hughes can play either guard or tackle and could help the team this fall.
Tacorey Turner is another name that wasn't on the list of February signees who is now wearing a gold and blue jersey this fall. The Montgomery, Alabama, resident is listed as a cornerback but could also move to safety if needed.
Fullback Jackson Knipper, a Beavercreek, Ohio, resident who played at Western Michigan, is in camp and will be looked at as a blocking back, while Brown singled out two Mountain State walk-ons who could help the program down the road in Morgantown High offensive lineman Nick Malone and Spring Valley wide receiver Graeson Malashevich.
Two other summer transfers, Bowling Green quarterback Jarret Doege and Temple wide receiver Sean Ryan, may or may not be available this year.
"I can't really speak to where they're at in the process right now, but as soon as we know something from our end, we'll inform you guys," Brown said.
In addition, Brown revealed that Middletown, Delaware, offensive tackle Brandon Yates by way of Liberty Baptist Academy in Las Vegas is now on campus and practicing with the team.
"He reported yesterday and practiced today," Brown noted. "He's talented and he worked extremely hard over the summer to get here."
One other addition, cornerback Alonzo Addae, the cousin of assistant coach Jahmile Addae, must sit out this year after transferring from New Hampshire.
Additionally, Brown announced that junior offensive lineman Jacob Buccigrossi has opted to medically retire while three others from last February's signing class will not be a part of this year's team.
Terence Dotson, a wide receiver from Tampa, Florida, was recently drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers and has opted to pursue a professional baseball career while Bowie, Maryland, safety Osita Smith and Cocoa, Florida, safety Rashean Lynn Jr. are headed to junior college.
Brown said the energy and enthusiasm his team displayed this morning was very encouraging to see.
"We are significantly better as a team right now than we were when we finished spring and a lot of that credit goes to (strength coach) Mike Joseph and his staff, and a lot of credit needs to go to some of our leadership on our football team because they got quality work in over the summer when the coaches couldn't work with them," he said.
Practice continues Saturday in conjunction with Fan Day, which will take place inside Milan Puskar Stadium. Mountaineer players and coaches will be available beginning at 10 a.m. to visit with fans and sign autographs prior to the morning practice.
At the conclusion of the autograph session at 11:30 a.m., fans can remain in the stadium to watch practice until it's conclusion at 1:30 p.m.
Friday afternoon practice notes …
* Brown indicated following spring practice the two position groups that needed the biggest jolt in energy and enthusiasm were defensive line and wide receiver. That's one of the reasons Jones was brought in from Michigan and Campbell was brought in from Florida State.
"Going into this we didn't have one senior in the receiver room," Brown mentioned. "Once I got to know him from a personality standpoint, I thought he would be a good fit."
Ryan is another player who will fulfill that role whenever he becomes available.
"He had a strong finish to his freshman year at Temple. He's got a ton of ability and when you get a chance to watch him I think you're going to like what you see," Brown predicted.
* West Virginia has adopted a "juice squad" that is in charge of getting the players fired up for practice every day. The Juice Squad sets the tone for the energy and enthusiasm Brown is seeking from his team each day during practice.
He wants thumb pointers, not finger pointers, and encouragers, not complainers.
"We weren't as good as we needed to be in the spring," Brown said. "Not only that, but we didn't have the level of energy that I wanted to have on our football team. Our leadership wasn't as good as it needed to be and we really had dangerous depth at some positions."
Regarding the high number of transfers this fall, Brown indicated that it was out of necessity to fill out the current gaps in his roster. He explained that he was seeking transfers with multiple years to help fill out some classes. He said Doege is a player who helps balance out the class disparity in the quarterback room.
* Brown said Friday that the team is currently not at 85 scholarships and indicated it could take possibly as many as three recruiting cycles before it gets there.
The first-year coach mentioned a handful of players who have been added to the team since the conclusion of spring drills and were previously reported on by various news outlets.
Among those are graduate transfers George Campbell from Florida State and Reuben Jones from Michigan, two high-energy guys West Virginia added to inject life into the locker room. Campbell was once a highly sought wide receiver prospect whose career at Florida State never really took off due to injuries.
Jones, a 6-foot-4, 250 pounder from Lakeland, Florida, is another heavily recruited player seeking reinvigoration for his final collegiate season.
"We want guys who not only have a passion for the game of football but a passion for life," Brown said Friday afternoon.
Junior college transfers Noah Guzman from Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, and John Hughes, from Navarro College in Navarro, Texas, are four-to-play-three JC guys who were also recently added.
Guzman, a safety, was discovered at Cerritos by assistant coach Blake Seiler, and Brown's familiarity with the Navarro program goes back to his days as offensive coordinator at Texas Tech. Brown indicated Hughes can play either guard or tackle and could help the team this fall.
Tacorey Turner is another name that wasn't on the list of February signees who is now wearing a gold and blue jersey this fall. The Montgomery, Alabama, resident is listed as a cornerback but could also move to safety if needed.
Fullback Jackson Knipper, a Beavercreek, Ohio, resident who played at Western Michigan, is in camp and will be looked at as a blocking back, while Brown singled out two Mountain State walk-ons who could help the program down the road in Morgantown High offensive lineman Nick Malone and Spring Valley wide receiver Graeson Malashevich.
Two other summer transfers, Bowling Green quarterback Jarret Doege and Temple wide receiver Sean Ryan, may or may not be available this year.
"I can't really speak to where they're at in the process right now, but as soon as we know something from our end, we'll inform you guys," Brown said.
In addition, Brown revealed that Middletown, Delaware, offensive tackle Brandon Yates by way of Liberty Baptist Academy in Las Vegas is now on campus and practicing with the team.
"He reported yesterday and practiced today," Brown noted. "He's talented and he worked extremely hard over the summer to get here."
One other addition, cornerback Alonzo Addae, the cousin of assistant coach Jahmile Addae, must sit out this year after transferring from New Hampshire.
Additionally, Brown announced that junior offensive lineman Jacob Buccigrossi has opted to medically retire while three others from last February's signing class will not be a part of this year's team.
Terence Dotson, a wide receiver from Tampa, Florida, was recently drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers and has opted to pursue a professional baseball career while Bowie, Maryland, safety Osita Smith and Cocoa, Florida, safety Rashean Lynn Jr. are headed to junior college.
Brown said the energy and enthusiasm his team displayed this morning was very encouraging to see.
"We are significantly better as a team right now than we were when we finished spring and a lot of that credit goes to (strength coach) Mike Joseph and his staff, and a lot of credit needs to go to some of our leadership on our football team because they got quality work in over the summer when the coaches couldn't work with them," he said.
Practice continues Saturday in conjunction with Fan Day, which will take place inside Milan Puskar Stadium. Mountaineer players and coaches will be available beginning at 10 a.m. to visit with fans and sign autographs prior to the morning practice.
At the conclusion of the autograph session at 11:30 a.m., fans can remain in the stadium to watch practice until it's conclusion at 1:30 p.m.
Friday afternoon practice notes …
* Brown indicated following spring practice the two position groups that needed the biggest jolt in energy and enthusiasm were defensive line and wide receiver. That's one of the reasons Jones was brought in from Michigan and Campbell was brought in from Florida State.
"Going into this we didn't have one senior in the receiver room," Brown mentioned. "Once I got to know him from a personality standpoint, I thought he would be a good fit."
Ryan is another player who will fulfill that role whenever he becomes available.
"He had a strong finish to his freshman year at Temple. He's got a ton of ability and when you get a chance to watch him I think you're going to like what you see," Brown predicted.
* West Virginia has adopted a "juice squad" that is in charge of getting the players fired up for practice every day. The Juice Squad sets the tone for the energy and enthusiasm Brown is seeking from his team each day during practice.
He wants thumb pointers, not finger pointers, and encouragers, not complainers.
"We weren't as good as we needed to be in the spring," Brown said. "Not only that, but we didn't have the level of energy that I wanted to have on our football team. Our leadership wasn't as good as it needed to be and we really had dangerous depth at some positions."
Regarding the high number of transfers this fall, Brown indicated that it was out of necessity to fill out the current gaps in his roster. He explained that he was seeking transfers with multiple years to help fill out some classes. He said Doege is a player who helps balance out the class disparity in the quarterback room.
* Brown said Friday that the team is currently not at 85 scholarships and indicated it could take possibly as many as three recruiting cycles before it gets there.
Players Mentioned
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