West Virginia got a jolt of roster movement on Thursday night, but the update didn’t hold for long. The Mountaineers announced that tight end Jacob Barrick and cornerback Jason Chambers were back in the fold and “participating in team activities,” with both players assigned jersey numbers. It looked like the roster was finally coming together.
Then Rich Rodriguez spoke on Friday, and the picture changed fast.
Barrick, Rodriguez said, has decided not to play. Instead, he’s shifting into coaching and will pursue his master’s degree.
“He (Barrick) just decided he wants to coach now, so he’s not going to be the first player/coach since Dusty Rutledge. Also, part of the decision was to pursue his master’s degree and go that way. It’s going to be good to have him on the staff, and I think our tight end room is going to be pretty solid once we get everybody healthy.
Chambers is the one still in the mix, and Rodriguez said the cornerback is easing back into things rather than jumping straight into a major role. The coach pointed to Chambers’ familiarity with the system and the trust he built with the staff last year as reasons the transition should be relatively smooth.
"Jason’s been good," Rodriguez said. "He’s slowly getting into shape, and I don’t know if anybody knows if that’s going to hold up next week.
I hope everybody gets some clarity on the eligibility of all those guys, but we’ll find out next week. Jason started for us last year, and he’s a pretty good football player.
He’s in pretty good shape. He missed a few months with our strength staff, obviously, but he’s a smart, competitive guy and he’s played a lot of football.
He certainly can help us.”
West Virginia may have the luxury of time here. With a fairly light first two weeks on the schedule, there’s no need to force Chambers into heavy snaps right away. Chams Diagne and Nick Taylor are expected to handle the two starting corner spots, while Jaire Rawlison, ChaMarryus Bomar, Keyshawn Robinson, and the two JUCO additions - Da'Mun Allen and Rayshawn Reynolds Jr. - are also in the mix.
The Week 3 meeting with Virginia should offer a better read on where Chambers fits. For now, the expectation is that Diagne and Taylor stay in the starting spots, with Chambers working himself into one of the top rotational roles if everything keeps trending in the right direction.
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Behind them, the picture gets more developmental, with Emory Snyder, Miles Khatri and Jayden Ballard all part of the mix as the staff sorts through long-term fit and upside. Each brings a different body type and skill set, which makes the competition worth watching through camp because the position is less about one obvious winner than finding the right blend of physicality and versatility. For a defense trying to settle its pieces early, this could end up being one of the quieter but most important decisions on the roster. [Read more 🡒]