MORGANTOWN —
Dana Holgorsen’s second spring football practice begins Sunday and it can’t come quickly enough for him.
He has that much to do.
“Losing a lot of star power means we have a lot of hungry kids who want to prove themselves,” he said at the annual pre-spring luncheon and press conference at the facilities building at Milan Puskar Center.
“We obviously lost a lot of productivity that we have to replace, but that’s the nature of college football,” Holgorsen continued, adding “by no means will we panic.”
In truth, this season is not far off from starting over for Holgorsen, who will be working with five new assistant coaches and without Geno Smith at quarterback, Tavon Austin at slot receiver/running back/kick returner and Stedman Bailey at wide receiver, to say nothing of his entire interior offensive line.
Obviously, the No. 1 goal is to find a quarterback to replace Smith, who figures to be the first QB selected in the NFL draft.
Holgorsen doesn’t expect to make that decision during the spring unless one of his three quarterbacks — Paul Millard, last year’s backup; Ford Childress, a redshirt freshman, or newcomer Chavas Rawlins — separates himself from the group.
“We won’t know for a while,” Holgorsen said.
Holgorsen not only has to decide on a quarterback, but who the quarterback will be throwing the ball to.
At wide receiver, auditions will be held all spring, such is the extent of the losses.
“We have a lot of guys who haven’t played,” Holgorsen admitted. “That’s exciting to me.”
The interior line lost guards Josh Jenkins and Jeff Berk along with center Joey Madsen, who also figures to be drafted by the NFL.
One of the key experiments in the spring is moving Pat Eger from tackle to center, considering that the Mountaineers are deep at offensive tackle.
New offensive line coach Ron Crook, who just signed on from Stanford, has a lot of work to do with this group.
“We’ve talked toughness,” Crook said, noting that he is in the process of learning who his players are and what they are all about. “Physical toughness, mental toughness. We want to be the dominant force on the field.”
The defense, while more experienced than the offense, may be more of a challenge, for it was among the nation’s worst last year.
Keith Patterson has taken over as defensive coordinator, actually beginning with the Pinstripe Bowl loss, and has been putting things in place since then.
He has a couple of solid linebackers in Doug Rigg and Isaiah Bruce back, along with hard-hitting safety Karl Joseph, while the line will be anchored by Will Clarke.
However, like on offense, much is uncertain and will be worked out in the spring and when the team reports back in August.
“There is no depth chart,” Holgorsen said. “There is open competition at every position.”
As for injuries, a number of players are out of spring or limited.
Wide receiver Dante Campbell had shoulder surgery and won’t be back until June or July while cornerback Terrell Chestnut is out with knee surgery after being hurt in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Linebacker Avery Williams missed last year and is down to do only non-contact drills this spring, as is linebacker Jewone Snow.
Email Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @bhertzel.
Bob Herzel
Related Photos
-
West Virginia’s Paul Millard, shown here in the 2011 spring game, is among three young quarterbacks vying for the starting job this season. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
Proving ground
Spots up for grabs going into WVU spring ball
- Bob Herzel
-
-
HERTZEL COLUMN: Flying WV logo draws attention outside country
Sometimes you hit a nerve, as we did a while back when we wrote about the wide reach of West Virginia University’s flying WV logo.
It has meant a lot to a lot of people. -
Seahawks’ Bruce Irvin suspended four games
Bruce Irvin, one of only two West Virginia University defensive linemen ever to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, will miss the first four games of the 2014 National Football League season because of a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs.
-
HERTZEL COLUMN: Opportunity to see birth of greatness
Sometimes things happen and the significance of them isn’t fully grasped immediately. So it is with the approval of the TIFF financing for a baseball stadium just off I-79 here in Morgantown.
Obviously, this a boon for the West Virginia University baseball program of Randy Mazey, which gains instant creditability. -
Musgrave ranks among top pitchers in college baseball
West Virginia University’s redshirt sophomore left-hander Harrison Musgrave’s spectacular season has reached the pinnacle of the heights a collegiate pitcher can attain as he has been named a finalist for the College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher of the Year Award.
-
Musgrave may be rested against OSU
It’s been a fun ride for West Virginia University baseball this season, coming out of nowhere to reach the final weekend with a chance to win the regular-season Big 12 championship.
But coach Randy Mazey is not allowing the Mountaineers to get carried away with that thought. -
HERTZEL COLUMN: WVU Tier 3 bidding goals are ambitious
They are re-opening the bidding at West Virginia University’s athletic department for Tier 3 media rights, but judging by the vision they have shown in putting it together, this is becoming something as ambitious, if not profitable, as the national television deals in which they have a stake.
-
NFL draft signals new era for WVU
This year’s NFL draft signified that West Virginia University is beginning a new era of football, one that is very different from the time that passed in the previous 100 years.
-
HERTZEL COLUMN- Can money buy WVU happiness as Big 12 member?
=Let me put the dummies to rest right away.
Financially, moving to the Big 12 was the right move for West Virginia University. -
WVU’s basketball team to play at Missouri
West Virginia University’s basketball team did nothing to merit it Tuesday, but its life in the Big 12 was just made a whole lot tougher on two levels.
-
HERTZEL COLUMN: Mountaineers learning NFL facts of life
Day one of the rest of their lives as NFL players is over, and quarterback Geno Smith and wide receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey have begun what they hope is a decades-long journey to the same kind of stardom that they found in college.
- More Bob Herzel Headlines
-
HERTZEL COLUMN: Flying WV logo draws attention outside country
