Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Garnes Makes Move From Duquesne to Potential Spot in Mountaineer Starting Lineup
August 19, 2024 03:56 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Ayden Garnes admits it took him a while to strike up a conversation with Mountaineer receiver Hudson Clement after he transferred from Duquesne last winter.
Garnes was a starter in the Dukes' secondary last year when Clement went off with three long touchdown catches to earn a scholarship immediately after the game.
Garnes said the game plan was to focus on NC State transfer Devin Carter, who made some nice catches in West Virginia's season opener against Penn State. So, when Garnes and his teammates noticed during pregame warmups that Carter was standing on the sidelines with his shoulder pads off, they wondered who was next?
"By the time we had him figured out, he already had two touchdowns," Garnes said earlier today, shaking his head.
Now the two have a good laugh about it.
Clement wasn't the only one who proved himself that afternoon. The West Virginia coaches were impressed with Garnes' play, and when he decided to jump into the transfer portal, the Mountaineers went after him hard.
Garnes' football background is not really that extensive, thanks to circumstances that were out of his control. The Philadelphia resident, who prepped at Monsignor Bonner, which is the same high school that produced recent WVU Sports Hall of Fame inductee Anthony Becht, played only four games his senior season because of COVID.
Thus, his body of work was not really enough to attract the interest of power conference or even group of five schools.
"I was going to try and reclass, but Duquesne hit me up late, and I'm like, 'I'm going to go here and just work,'" Garnes recalled.
He appeared in 10 games for the Dukes as a freshman in 2022 and produced 33 tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups and a pair of tackles for losses. Last year, those numbers swelled to 51 tackles, 13 pass breakups, five TFLs, two interceptions and a sack.
His 22 games at Duquesne included appearances against Florida State, Hawaii and West Virginia, giving him a small taste of the big time, and it was at about the midway point of last season when he began thinking hard about hitting the transfer portal.
It was his performances in those games, particularly against West Virginia, that gave him the confidence to make the jump.
"That was a steppingstone," he admitted. "I knew it wasn't the best game for Duquesne, but personally, I felt like I did what I had to do to solidify myself."
After the season, Garnes visited Cincinnati a day before going to West Virginia with trips also lined up to Liberty and Indiana. But once he visited Morgantown, it felt like home, so he canceled the other two visits.
"It was like I was part of the family as soon as I got here," he said.
Garnes said it took him just three practices last spring to assert himself once he got into full pads. He made two interceptions during that practice and hasn't looked back since.
Right now, Garnes is lined up opposite Northwestern transfer Garnett Hollis Jr. at the cornerback positions. Unless something changes drastically between now and Aug. 31, it looks like those two will be out there for the season opener against Penn State.
Garnes said Hollis has really helped him with his technique.
"I was a little jumpy and looking at things when I first got here, and he helped me just to settle down and get my eyes and my feet where they need to be," he explained. "At the level I was at, I was able to stick with guys, but now he's taught me how to settle down and just work on my technique."
Garnes admits there were times the last two years when he could take a quick peek into the backfield to see what was happening while still managing to handle his pass coverage responsibilities.
That's a big no-no at this level.
"The quarterbacks are way better," he said.
Garnes said he played last year's game against West Virginia weighing just 163 pounds. He's now up to 180 and expects to comfortably play at that weight this season.
"Nutrition-wise, it's like a whole different thing than when I first got here," Garnes admitted. "My first week, I think I put on like four pounds."
And, no, those four pounds were not from eating Twinkies, Ho Hos and Ding Dongs. They fed Garnes three square meals a day at Duquesne, too, but there just weren't the resources available for him there like he has access to here at the power-conference level.
"At that level, you do a lot of things on your own," he explained. "Here, you have a lot more people. There were people there, but just not as much help."
Speaking of people, there will be a lot more of them in the stands than what Garnes was used to when he played at 2,200-seat Rooney Field.
"The big part that hit me was their first touchdown when that musket went off. I was like, 'Alright, we're in West Virginia now.' At the end of the game, I just soaked it all in because this is a beautiful place," he said. "Even after the rain delay, there were still about 30 or 40,000 here so it was a no brainer for me."
You can add about 20,000 to that at kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 31.
The Mountaineers continue practice work on Tuesday and have a mock game scheduled for Wednesday, which is also the first day of the fall semester for WVU.
Preseason camp concludes on Wednesday and the team will turn its full attention to Penn State prep on Thursday.
Season tickets for the 2024 campaign remain on sale through the Mountaineer Ticket Office and can be purchased by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Garnes was a starter in the Dukes' secondary last year when Clement went off with three long touchdown catches to earn a scholarship immediately after the game.
Garnes said the game plan was to focus on NC State transfer Devin Carter, who made some nice catches in West Virginia's season opener against Penn State. So, when Garnes and his teammates noticed during pregame warmups that Carter was standing on the sidelines with his shoulder pads off, they wondered who was next?
"By the time we had him figured out, he already had two touchdowns," Garnes said earlier today, shaking his head.
Now the two have a good laugh about it.
Clement wasn't the only one who proved himself that afternoon. The West Virginia coaches were impressed with Garnes' play, and when he decided to jump into the transfer portal, the Mountaineers went after him hard.
Garnes' football background is not really that extensive, thanks to circumstances that were out of his control. The Philadelphia resident, who prepped at Monsignor Bonner, which is the same high school that produced recent WVU Sports Hall of Fame inductee Anthony Becht, played only four games his senior season because of COVID.
Thus, his body of work was not really enough to attract the interest of power conference or even group of five schools.
"I was going to try and reclass, but Duquesne hit me up late, and I'm like, 'I'm going to go here and just work,'" Garnes recalled.
He appeared in 10 games for the Dukes as a freshman in 2022 and produced 33 tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups and a pair of tackles for losses. Last year, those numbers swelled to 51 tackles, 13 pass breakups, five TFLs, two interceptions and a sack.
His 22 games at Duquesne included appearances against Florida State, Hawaii and West Virginia, giving him a small taste of the big time, and it was at about the midway point of last season when he began thinking hard about hitting the transfer portal.
It was his performances in those games, particularly against West Virginia, that gave him the confidence to make the jump.
"That was a steppingstone," he admitted. "I knew it wasn't the best game for Duquesne, but personally, I felt like I did what I had to do to solidify myself."
After the season, Garnes visited Cincinnati a day before going to West Virginia with trips also lined up to Liberty and Indiana. But once he visited Morgantown, it felt like home, so he canceled the other two visits.
"It was like I was part of the family as soon as I got here," he said.
Garnes said it took him just three practices last spring to assert himself once he got into full pads. He made two interceptions during that practice and hasn't looked back since.
Right now, Garnes is lined up opposite Northwestern transfer Garnett Hollis Jr. at the cornerback positions. Unless something changes drastically between now and Aug. 31, it looks like those two will be out there for the season opener against Penn State.
Garnes said Hollis has really helped him with his technique.
"I was a little jumpy and looking at things when I first got here, and he helped me just to settle down and get my eyes and my feet where they need to be," he explained. "At the level I was at, I was able to stick with guys, but now he's taught me how to settle down and just work on my technique."
Garnes admits there were times the last two years when he could take a quick peek into the backfield to see what was happening while still managing to handle his pass coverage responsibilities.
That's a big no-no at this level.
"The quarterbacks are way better," he said.
Garnes said he played last year's game against West Virginia weighing just 163 pounds. He's now up to 180 and expects to comfortably play at that weight this season.
"Nutrition-wise, it's like a whole different thing than when I first got here," Garnes admitted. "My first week, I think I put on like four pounds."
And, no, those four pounds were not from eating Twinkies, Ho Hos and Ding Dongs. They fed Garnes three square meals a day at Duquesne, too, but there just weren't the resources available for him there like he has access to here at the power-conference level.
"At that level, you do a lot of things on your own," he explained. "Here, you have a lot more people. There were people there, but just not as much help."
Speaking of people, there will be a lot more of them in the stands than what Garnes was used to when he played at 2,200-seat Rooney Field.
"The big part that hit me was their first touchdown when that musket went off. I was like, 'Alright, we're in West Virginia now.' At the end of the game, I just soaked it all in because this is a beautiful place," he said. "Even after the rain delay, there were still about 30 or 40,000 here so it was a no brainer for me."
You can add about 20,000 to that at kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 31.
The Mountaineers continue practice work on Tuesday and have a mock game scheduled for Wednesday, which is also the first day of the fall semester for WVU.
Preseason camp concludes on Wednesday and the team will turn its full attention to Penn State prep on Thursday.
Season tickets for the 2024 campaign remain on sale through the Mountaineer Ticket Office and can be purchased by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
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WR
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