Photo by: Raquel Rodriguez/Mountaineer Football
On a Team Full of New Faces, Wilson Assuming a Leadership Role For Mountaineers
August 21, 2025 03:17 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The late Bobby Bowden was once asked about the toughness of one of his former Florida State football players.
Bowden thought for a moment and replied, "He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but then again, after looking at his grades, he doesn't know the meaning of a lot of words!"
Well, that statement certainly wouldn't apply to WVU senior linebacker Chase Wilson, a thoughtful and intelligent Colorado State transfer who has chosen to play his final year of college football for the Mountaineers.
Wilson appeared in 42 career games over five seasons at CSU, including very productive ones in 2023 and 2024 when he earned second team All-Mountain West honors.
Two years ago, he made 107 tackles, 8½ tackles for losses and 3½ sacks for the Rams. Last season, his 98 tackles, three tackles for losses and two interceptions helped Colorado State to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Arizona Bowl.
Soon afterward, with another year of eligibility available because of the COVID-19 season in 2020, Wilson made the decision to enter the transfer portal and look for another school to complete his college career.
So, he decided to pack up his old car and shipped it to Morgantown, West Virginia.
"I was really grateful for my time at Colorado State," Wilson said earlier this month. "I had a lot of great teammates and a lot of great coaches there that kind of formed me into the football player and the man that I am today. My goals, long term for football, I felt like the best decision for me was to go to a power four conference."
Once Wilson made himself available, West Virginia's new defensive coordinator Zac Alley pounced. He was the type of intelligent football player that Alley was seeking to help remold a Mountaineer defense that struggled mightily in 2024.
It didn't take long for the two to hit it off.
"Coach Alley reached out to me and his kind of mindset of how he likes to play defense and just his aggressive mindset was something I could really get behind," Wilson explained. "That was the biggest factor in wanting to transfer.
"This was the first visit I took and right after my visit, it felt a lot like Colorado to me, more hills than mountains, but I fell in love with it," Wilson added. "I fell in love with the people, the game-day atmosphere, and the fan base just felt like home to me."
Wilson said the feeling was mutual.
"He liked the way I played; he liked the way I played square and downhill," he admitted. "A lot of the things I do well complements how he likes his linebackers to play. At the end of the day, I hang my hat on being physical and being aggressive. I think you have to play defense that way, and that's the only way you can play defense."
It's difficult developing team leaders when you've got a team full of transfers, and coach Rich Rodriguez believes leadership is his No. 1 responsibility anyway, but there are times when the coaches aren't around, and the players must take over.
Wilson, because of his experiences and his easy-going personality, is one of those guys capable of filling the void.
"I think my experience has helped," he points out. "We've brought in 74 transfers, so a lot of new guys, and a new team in general. Just my experience is something I can provide to these young guys.
"How to do the little things right. How to show up on time. How to work hard. How to take care of your body on and off the field. I made mistakes early in my career, and it took me a while to figure it out, so if I can help some of these young guys while they are freshmen and sophomores, I want to leave this place better than how it is right now," he explained. "If I can help those guys get ahead of the curve in year one and year two, I'll be happy about it."
As for carryover from one system to another, the 6-foot-1, 230-pounder says defense is defense.
"There are certain ways you play cover four or cover three or man, so there is a lot of carryover in certain techniques," Wilson observed. "What I like about coach Alley is his passion for the game. I'm sure you guys can hear him on the sidelines either ripping somebody or giving somebody praise. He's going to love you, but he's also going to coach you hard, and that's something I can get behind every day."
Schematically, Wilson said West Virginia is a base four-down, quarters team that will vary from game to game based on the teams they face.
The one essential is every player doing his job on each snap.
"When you see these Oklahoma clips that we've watched, a lot of these guys are just doing their 1/11th," Wilson said. "If you do your job, just as the guy does to your left and your right, you are going to make turnovers and big plays."
Wilson believes going against a tempo offense each practice is beneficial because it requires defenders to think and react rapidly.
"This is the fastest we are ever going to go in a game," he said. "(In games) it's going to slow down, and we're going to have a lot more time to make our checks, so I think this is the best offense to prepare against."
He equates Rodriguez's unique spread system to what he once faced when Colorado State played Air Force's triple-option attack, "You have to be disciplined every single snap, because they are reading four guys to one side on every single play, and that's coach Rod's offense," he explained. "You have to be disciplined in your fits and knowing what your job is or else they are going to exploit that."
As we inch closer toward the start of another season, excitement is building in the Mountain State with the return of native son Rodriguez. A 3,000-plus-word story written by Ross Dellenger about Rodriguez with the coach pictured wearing a "hard-edge" bandana was posted on the Yahoo!Sports website earlier today.
Season tickets sales have recently exceeded 33,000 for the first time in more than a decade, and a packed Milan Puskar Stadium is guaranteed for the Backyard Brawl against Pitt here on Saturday, Sept. 13.
Of course, the players and coaches are focused on the season opener against Robert Morris on Saturday, Aug. 30, followed by a difficult road trip to Athens, Ohio, to play Ohio University on Saturday, Sept. 6.
But to West Virginia fans, desperately wanting their football program to regain the national relevance it once enjoyed at the time of Rodriguez's departure in 2007, that Sept. 13 date against the Panthers is the one they've got circled in red.
Wilson knows a little bit about rivalry games, having experienced one at Colorado State facing arch-rival Colorado.
"This is a rivalry that's bigger than us. Every rivalry game is bigger than the team and bigger than the fan base," he explained. "You are representing those coming after you and everybody coming before you, so you've got to remember that. It's not about you in those games. It's about laying it on the line for your brothers and past brothers that have played in the system."
He believes the Backyard Brawl will be a fun game to play.
"I love rivalry games. They have a great team there and a great organization, and we're looking forward to playing them," he said.
In the meantime, Wilson said he's focused on building relationships and getting the most out of a completely new football team led by new coaches and new players, most of whom are still getting to know each other.
His outgoing, good-natured personality makes him a natural in this setting.
"I like to talk and anybody in the building knows that I like to get to know people, and the best part of football is the relationships you make and the friends that you have," he said. "The game is going to end one day, but those relationships will carry on for the rest of your life. Some of these guys are going to be at my wedding one day, and that's awesome.
"I am going to be who I am every single day, unapologetically. I'm going to do my best for my coaches and my teammates and for this fan base and state," Wilson concluded.
And yes, Chase Wilson doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but he certainly knows the meaning to lots of other words.
Bowden thought for a moment and replied, "He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but then again, after looking at his grades, he doesn't know the meaning of a lot of words!"
Well, that statement certainly wouldn't apply to WVU senior linebacker Chase Wilson, a thoughtful and intelligent Colorado State transfer who has chosen to play his final year of college football for the Mountaineers.
Wilson appeared in 42 career games over five seasons at CSU, including very productive ones in 2023 and 2024 when he earned second team All-Mountain West honors.
Two years ago, he made 107 tackles, 8½ tackles for losses and 3½ sacks for the Rams. Last season, his 98 tackles, three tackles for losses and two interceptions helped Colorado State to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Arizona Bowl.
Soon afterward, with another year of eligibility available because of the COVID-19 season in 2020, Wilson made the decision to enter the transfer portal and look for another school to complete his college career.
So, he decided to pack up his old car and shipped it to Morgantown, West Virginia.
"I was really grateful for my time at Colorado State," Wilson said earlier this month. "I had a lot of great teammates and a lot of great coaches there that kind of formed me into the football player and the man that I am today. My goals, long term for football, I felt like the best decision for me was to go to a power four conference."
Once Wilson made himself available, West Virginia's new defensive coordinator Zac Alley pounced. He was the type of intelligent football player that Alley was seeking to help remold a Mountaineer defense that struggled mightily in 2024.
It didn't take long for the two to hit it off.
"Coach Alley reached out to me and his kind of mindset of how he likes to play defense and just his aggressive mindset was something I could really get behind," Wilson explained. "That was the biggest factor in wanting to transfer.
"This was the first visit I took and right after my visit, it felt a lot like Colorado to me, more hills than mountains, but I fell in love with it," Wilson added. "I fell in love with the people, the game-day atmosphere, and the fan base just felt like home to me."
Wilson said the feeling was mutual.
"He liked the way I played; he liked the way I played square and downhill," he admitted. "A lot of the things I do well complements how he likes his linebackers to play. At the end of the day, I hang my hat on being physical and being aggressive. I think you have to play defense that way, and that's the only way you can play defense."
It's difficult developing team leaders when you've got a team full of transfers, and coach Rich Rodriguez believes leadership is his No. 1 responsibility anyway, but there are times when the coaches aren't around, and the players must take over.
Wilson, because of his experiences and his easy-going personality, is one of those guys capable of filling the void.
"I think my experience has helped," he points out. "We've brought in 74 transfers, so a lot of new guys, and a new team in general. Just my experience is something I can provide to these young guys.
"How to do the little things right. How to show up on time. How to work hard. How to take care of your body on and off the field. I made mistakes early in my career, and it took me a while to figure it out, so if I can help some of these young guys while they are freshmen and sophomores, I want to leave this place better than how it is right now," he explained. "If I can help those guys get ahead of the curve in year one and year two, I'll be happy about it."
As for carryover from one system to another, the 6-foot-1, 230-pounder says defense is defense.
"There are certain ways you play cover four or cover three or man, so there is a lot of carryover in certain techniques," Wilson observed. "What I like about coach Alley is his passion for the game. I'm sure you guys can hear him on the sidelines either ripping somebody or giving somebody praise. He's going to love you, but he's also going to coach you hard, and that's something I can get behind every day."
Schematically, Wilson said West Virginia is a base four-down, quarters team that will vary from game to game based on the teams they face.
The one essential is every player doing his job on each snap.
"When you see these Oklahoma clips that we've watched, a lot of these guys are just doing their 1/11th," Wilson said. "If you do your job, just as the guy does to your left and your right, you are going to make turnovers and big plays."
Wilson believes going against a tempo offense each practice is beneficial because it requires defenders to think and react rapidly.
"This is the fastest we are ever going to go in a game," he said. "(In games) it's going to slow down, and we're going to have a lot more time to make our checks, so I think this is the best offense to prepare against."
He equates Rodriguez's unique spread system to what he once faced when Colorado State played Air Force's triple-option attack, "You have to be disciplined every single snap, because they are reading four guys to one side on every single play, and that's coach Rod's offense," he explained. "You have to be disciplined in your fits and knowing what your job is or else they are going to exploit that."
As we inch closer toward the start of another season, excitement is building in the Mountain State with the return of native son Rodriguez. A 3,000-plus-word story written by Ross Dellenger about Rodriguez with the coach pictured wearing a "hard-edge" bandana was posted on the Yahoo!Sports website earlier today.
Season tickets sales have recently exceeded 33,000 for the first time in more than a decade, and a packed Milan Puskar Stadium is guaranteed for the Backyard Brawl against Pitt here on Saturday, Sept. 13.
Of course, the players and coaches are focused on the season opener against Robert Morris on Saturday, Aug. 30, followed by a difficult road trip to Athens, Ohio, to play Ohio University on Saturday, Sept. 6.
But to West Virginia fans, desperately wanting their football program to regain the national relevance it once enjoyed at the time of Rodriguez's departure in 2007, that Sept. 13 date against the Panthers is the one they've got circled in red.
Wilson knows a little bit about rivalry games, having experienced one at Colorado State facing arch-rival Colorado.
"This is a rivalry that's bigger than us. Every rivalry game is bigger than the team and bigger than the fan base," he explained. "You are representing those coming after you and everybody coming before you, so you've got to remember that. It's not about you in those games. It's about laying it on the line for your brothers and past brothers that have played in the system."
He believes the Backyard Brawl will be a fun game to play.
"I love rivalry games. They have a great team there and a great organization, and we're looking forward to playing them," he said.
In the meantime, Wilson said he's focused on building relationships and getting the most out of a completely new football team led by new coaches and new players, most of whom are still getting to know each other.
His outgoing, good-natured personality makes him a natural in this setting.
"I like to talk and anybody in the building knows that I like to get to know people, and the best part of football is the relationships you make and the friends that you have," he said. "The game is going to end one day, but those relationships will carry on for the rest of your life. Some of these guys are going to be at my wedding one day, and that's awesome.
"I am going to be who I am every single day, unapologetically. I'm going to do my best for my coaches and my teammates and for this fan base and state," Wilson concluded.
And yes, Chase Wilson doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but he certainly knows the meaning to lots of other words.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ FootballRich Rodriguez | Dec. 3
Wednesday, December 03
Reid Carrico | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Jeff Weimer | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Rich Rodriguez | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
