MORGANTOWN — The best part of the early days of football practice in the fall is that there has been very little time for anyone to do much wrong, except maybe for the program itself, which is in the process of answering NCAA allegations that it committed five major violations either wittingly or unwittingly under the unseeing eyes of a pair of head coaches and then-athletic director Ed Pastilong.

With that adding urgency to a new season and with the players rested and eager to get untracked, the reports out of the WVU camp have been as upbeat as you can expect, with every veteran a candidate for All-American honors and every rookie blessed with untapped potential.

While coaches are talking that talk, they also offer one warning.

For each platitude, there is an asterisk.

“We’re not going to play the game in shorts,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, after extolling the virtues of his defense, both the returning veterans and the younger generation.

“They’ve really shown up with a sense of purpose about them.” Casteel noted. “Obviously, you’re going to be excited to get back on the field after being away since spring practice, but they are really focused and doing some good things.”

At this point it is best to make note that face of the program, of course, is Noel Devine, the gifted man-child who is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and who is the bell cow of a fast, talented offense.

With that, though, we offer a warning — not to you who have suffered this far into this column, but to opponents of West Virginia. That warning would be simply that the defense may be — in fact, probably is — the heart and soul of the team.

It is deep, it is talented, it is fast, it is experienced, it is hard hitting and it is improving.

If you are going to look at potential all-Big East Conference performers they are literally everywhere from down linemen Scooter Berry and Chris Neild to linebacker J.T. Thomas to cornerback Brandon Hogan and safety Robert Sands, with the lines of safety Sidney Glover and defensive end Julian Miller only some publicity behind.

This is a group with a lot of players who have been through the wars of college football Saturdays, and Thursdays, and Fridays.

“Experience is a big thing for the older guys. We know exactly what is coming and prepare better than the younger guys. We had last week off, so no one is in football shape right now. You’ll see us playing a lot faster five days into camp,” Thomas said.

The experience is what you know about the defense. What you don’t know is the newcomers and it is there that much excitement is being created. To begin with, cornerback Broderick Jenkins has come in and put himself in a battle for the cornerback slot that was possessed by Keith Tandy last year.

  That means that the Mountaineers can use him, Tandy and Brandon Hogan in prevent situations, with also having Pat Miller as an option, giving them coverage options they did not really have last season.

And then there is the man who has been the talk of the camp, a junior college transfer named Bruce Irvin, who is part Robert Sands, part Julian Miller and all man. He is a linebacker and pass rushing end who is expected to move right in and become a big playmaker on third-down defense.

Is he ready yet? No, but if he shows in pads what he has shown in shorts, they will make sure that he’s ready by the opener.

“He doesn’t look like anyone we’ve had before,” head coach Bill Stewart said. “He’s a sharp, consciousness guy. Last night, he came up with the freshmen. He acknowledges that he’s a newcomer. It will be a great story if he has success.”

Casteel is drooling to get the chance to see what this 6-3, 235-pound Californian can do.

“He is a kid who is explosive, strong, physical. He shows a willingness to learn, a willingness to fit in with his teammates,” the defensive coordinator said. “We’re trying to find out a little bit about what Bruce can do because we didn’t have him in the spring. Our goal is to evaluate him and find out what his strengths and weaknesses are and try to play to his strengths.”

They see him as a linebacker but …

“Obviously, he’s going to get an opportunity to put his hand in the dirt and get after the quarterback on third down,” Casteel said, making note of his 16 sacks last year as Mt. San Antonio Junior College went 13-1 and won a state and national championship.

“Once we get the pads on and see him fly around, if he can do the job, we’ll try to find a place to highlight what he does,” Casteel concluded.

That place, if it works out right, will be in the opponent’s backfield all season long.

E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.