Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Grayson Following Trickett’s Lead Step-by-Step
August 27, 2026 03:56 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – One of the first things offensive line coach Rick Trickett did when he returned to West Virginia University last winter was to make a trip over to the local hardware store.
He went there to buy some boards, not for his new place, but rather for his new guys at the football practice facility. Stepping over those boards are the first thing his Mountaineer offensive linemen do each day before practice.
The idea for using them is simple - to train proper footwork, body alignment and explosive mechanics. According to Coaches Insider, using narrow wooden boards force linemen to take "precise, short steps (around six inches) rather than long, overextended strides that cause them to lose balance."
It helps them maintain a square base and helps keep a lineman's hips and shoulders square to the line of scrimmage.
Stepping on and off a board also helps players transfer their weight properly from the back foot to the front foot. This activity promotes muscle memory, so linemen don't have to look down at their feet while blocking.
You've probably heard the phrase Wash, rinse and repeat … well, that's precisely what Trickett does each day with his offensive linemen.
For junior offensive guard Amare Grayson, known by his family and friends as "Bubba," those boards have become just a part of the everyday scenery on a football field.
"We started with it and that's our warmup," he said recently. "When we do reach blocks, that's what we do, and he harps on that a lot.
"It's a mental thing," Grayson continued. "If I can step over that board when it's there, I can step over it when it's not there. That really helps me with a lot of things. If you take your steps the right way, it's going to put you where you need to be every time. No matter what defense people throw at us, it will be there."
Grayson's relationship with Rick Trickett is now going on four years, dating back to his high school days at Stockbridge High in Stockbridge, Georgia.
Grayson recalled the first time his high school coach called him into his office to meet this diminutive, elderly man with a thick Southern accent. He wasn't sure what to think the first time he met him.
"I was like, 'He coaches O-line?' But the first time I talked to him, I just felt the energy and was like, 'Yeah. This is my guy right here,'" Grayson said. "Then, when I stepped on campus at Jacksonville, he pretty much said it straight, 'I'm going to coach you hard, and I'm going to love you at the same time.' And I needed that right there."
It didn't take Grayson long to take to Trickett, and it didn't take Trickett long to take to Grayson. Bubba appeared in all 14 games during his freshman season in 2024, making eight starts, while earning Conference USA All-Freshman honors under head coach Rich Rodriguez.
The 6-foot-1, 309-pounder earned a 97.8% blocking grade, third best on the team, while allowing no sacks on the 224 passing plays that he blocked. As a run blocker, he helped pave the way for Jacksonville State to finish third in the country in rushing, averaging 251.2 yards per game.
Last year, with Rodriguez now coaching at West Virginia, Grayson developed into one of the top offensive linemen in Conference USA, which made him one of Trickett's transfer portal priorities when Rodriguez asked him to rejoin him at West Virginia.
Grayson following his offensive line coach to Morgantown, West Virginia, was a no-brainer for both.
"Playing for Trickett has honestly been my best decision," he admitted. "He's a leader of men, besides being a coach, and that's what I love about him. He really cares about you as a player, and he tries to put you through hard things so when you get out into the real world, you can just be yourself.
"You won't go through anything harder, I swear," he laughed.
Grayson said the biggest improvement since he began working with Trickett was his overall consistency as a player, which is understandable considering consistency is what Trickett preaches daily to his guys.
Do the same thing over and over and over until it becomes second nature. It might be old-fashioned and boring, but it still works.
"If I take my first step with hat placement, I'm going to get to where I need to be every time," Grayson explained. "That has really helped me as an offensive lineman because in high school, that was my biggest thing. I couldn't stay consistent with one thing. It was like something different every time. He really harped on that.
"Consistency wins in a lot of things, and I've come in and adapted great to this scheme," he added.
One thing Grayson admits he's still adapting to is the weather here in the Northeast. Before he got here, he didn't realize how far north West Virginia really is compared to Georgia or Alabama.
"I'm from the South, so like it doesn't get cold down there, and the first week I was here there was a snowstorm," he laughed. "I had to kind of get used to that, but overall, the people, I love the people. Everybody here is nice and welcoming. The coaches here felt like family because they were at Jax State with me my freshman year."
As for the nickname, "Bubba," naturally there's a backstory to that as well.
He explains.
"My little sister gave me that name," he said. "We're 11 months apart. She couldn't say brother, so she called me 'Bubba' and then my parents were like, 'Yeah, your nickname is Bubba!' I didn't like it at first. In elementary school I was like, 'Don't call me that.' Then it just grew on me over time."
Just like Rick Trickett has grown on him, and vice versa.
West Virginia is continuing practice work in preparation for its 2026 season opener against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Milan Puskar Stadium.
The game will kick off at noon and will be televised nationally on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. Tickets remain on sale and can be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
He went there to buy some boards, not for his new place, but rather for his new guys at the football practice facility. Stepping over those boards are the first thing his Mountaineer offensive linemen do each day before practice.
The idea for using them is simple - to train proper footwork, body alignment and explosive mechanics. According to Coaches Insider, using narrow wooden boards force linemen to take "precise, short steps (around six inches) rather than long, overextended strides that cause them to lose balance."
It helps them maintain a square base and helps keep a lineman's hips and shoulders square to the line of scrimmage.
Stepping on and off a board also helps players transfer their weight properly from the back foot to the front foot. This activity promotes muscle memory, so linemen don't have to look down at their feet while blocking.
You've probably heard the phrase Wash, rinse and repeat … well, that's precisely what Trickett does each day with his offensive linemen.
For junior offensive guard Amare Grayson, known by his family and friends as "Bubba," those boards have become just a part of the everyday scenery on a football field.
"We started with it and that's our warmup," he said recently. "When we do reach blocks, that's what we do, and he harps on that a lot.
"It's a mental thing," Grayson continued. "If I can step over that board when it's there, I can step over it when it's not there. That really helps me with a lot of things. If you take your steps the right way, it's going to put you where you need to be every time. No matter what defense people throw at us, it will be there."
Grayson's relationship with Rick Trickett is now going on four years, dating back to his high school days at Stockbridge High in Stockbridge, Georgia.
Grayson recalled the first time his high school coach called him into his office to meet this diminutive, elderly man with a thick Southern accent. He wasn't sure what to think the first time he met him.
"I was like, 'He coaches O-line?' But the first time I talked to him, I just felt the energy and was like, 'Yeah. This is my guy right here,'" Grayson said. "Then, when I stepped on campus at Jacksonville, he pretty much said it straight, 'I'm going to coach you hard, and I'm going to love you at the same time.' And I needed that right there."
It didn't take Grayson long to take to Trickett, and it didn't take Trickett long to take to Grayson. Bubba appeared in all 14 games during his freshman season in 2024, making eight starts, while earning Conference USA All-Freshman honors under head coach Rich Rodriguez.
The 6-foot-1, 309-pounder earned a 97.8% blocking grade, third best on the team, while allowing no sacks on the 224 passing plays that he blocked. As a run blocker, he helped pave the way for Jacksonville State to finish third in the country in rushing, averaging 251.2 yards per game.
Last year, with Rodriguez now coaching at West Virginia, Grayson developed into one of the top offensive linemen in Conference USA, which made him one of Trickett's transfer portal priorities when Rodriguez asked him to rejoin him at West Virginia.
Grayson following his offensive line coach to Morgantown, West Virginia, was a no-brainer for both.
"Playing for Trickett has honestly been my best decision," he admitted. "He's a leader of men, besides being a coach, and that's what I love about him. He really cares about you as a player, and he tries to put you through hard things so when you get out into the real world, you can just be yourself.
"You won't go through anything harder, I swear," he laughed.
Grayson said the biggest improvement since he began working with Trickett was his overall consistency as a player, which is understandable considering consistency is what Trickett preaches daily to his guys.
Do the same thing over and over and over until it becomes second nature. It might be old-fashioned and boring, but it still works.
"If I take my first step with hat placement, I'm going to get to where I need to be every time," Grayson explained. "That has really helped me as an offensive lineman because in high school, that was my biggest thing. I couldn't stay consistent with one thing. It was like something different every time. He really harped on that.
"Consistency wins in a lot of things, and I've come in and adapted great to this scheme," he added.
One thing Grayson admits he's still adapting to is the weather here in the Northeast. Before he got here, he didn't realize how far north West Virginia really is compared to Georgia or Alabama.
"I'm from the South, so like it doesn't get cold down there, and the first week I was here there was a snowstorm," he laughed. "I had to kind of get used to that, but overall, the people, I love the people. Everybody here is nice and welcoming. The coaches here felt like family because they were at Jax State with me my freshman year."
As for the nickname, "Bubba," naturally there's a backstory to that as well.
He explains.
"My little sister gave me that name," he said. "We're 11 months apart. She couldn't say brother, so she called me 'Bubba' and then my parents were like, 'Yeah, your nickname is Bubba!' I didn't like it at first. In elementary school I was like, 'Don't call me that.' Then it just grew on me over time."
Just like Rick Trickett has grown on him, and vice versa.
West Virginia is continuing practice work in preparation for its 2026 season opener against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Milan Puskar Stadium.
The game will kick off at noon and will be televised nationally on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. Tickets remain on sale and can be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
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