West Virginia’s defense is still a work in progress with the opener now just thirteen days away, but Zac Alley says the group is starting to settle in.
The Mountaineers have spent most of fall camp drawing attention on the offensive side, while the defense has remained something of a mystery. On Saturday, the team posted a short on-field interview with Alley, and he offered a more upbeat read on where his unit stands.
“I think we have a much better understanding of what we’re doing and why we are doing it than we did when we started fall camp," Alley said. "I think you have seen guys…they are more comfortable in the system, understand what we’re trying to do. That showed up the last couple of days where we’ve made some smart plays and done things you expect of a high-level, productive back end and secondary as well.”
That comfort level matters because a lot of this defense is new, even if it does have more returning pieces than the offense. West Virginia brings back DL Nate Gabriel, DL Corey McIntyre Jr., LB Ben Cutter, LB Ashton Woods, and CBs Nick Taylor, ChaMarryus Bomar, and Keyshawn Robinson. N/S Geimere Latimer also already knows the scheme from his time at Jacksonville State.
There’s also another layer to the group: several underclassmen may not have played yet, but they’re now in their second year in the defense. That has allowed the staff to install more throughout camp.
“We're probably doing more stuff, and I've been around Zac a bunch of time," head coach Rich Rodriguez said earlier this week. "I think we're doing more stuff defensively than we ever have.
And things that aren't working or things that our guys can't grasp, he won't put it in there. Most of it has been things we'll need all year, and he's got some stuff in for first game, but we do a whole lot.
He's always done a whole lot. He's demanding of our guys from a schematic, understanding football standpoint.
You'd like to just play this one front, one blitz, one coverage and be good enough to win games that way, but I don't know if anybody can do that nowadays."
The secondary is getting plenty of attention, and for good reason with the questions at corner. Still, the bigger concern might be up front. The defensive line doesn’t have much depth or size, which could become an issue against teams that want to run the football and lean on a physical offensive line.
In Other News...
WVUs Opener Depth Chart Is Taking Shape Around Two Key Battles
West Virginias second preseason scrimmage offered another useful glimpse at how the opener depth chart is settling in, with camp now narrowing toward the Sept. 3 matchup against Coastal Carolina. The projected lineup is beginning to take shape across the board, and the clearest picture comes from the spots where the Mountaineers still have real competition, along with a few players whose current status is shaping how the staff is sorting out the rotation.
Those battles matter because this is the point in camp where roles start to harden and the coaching staff has to balance performance, health and experience before the season begins. The updated projection points to a roster that is still evolving in a couple of key areas, and the next scrimmage and final days of camp should tell a lot about which players are ready to lock down starting jobs and which ones are better suited for important backup or rotational duties. [Read more 🡒]
WVU's NFL Pipeline Rebuild Suddenly Has A Few Real Names To Watch
Rich Rodriguezs return has put a different kind of spotlight on West Virginia football, one that reaches beyond Saturdays in the Big 12 and into what comes next for the program. The roster is starting to produce a few names that NFL evaluators will have to sort through, with junior running back Cam Cook, second-year linebacker Cam Torbor and first-year offensive lineman Kevin Brown all standing out as players with traits that could matter when pro teams begin looking for the next wave of Mountaineers.
It is still early in the rebuild, and no one is confusing potential with a finished draft class, but this is the sort of development West Virginia has needed if it wants to reestablish a true pipeline. Each of those players brings a different profile and a different timeline, which is part of the appeal for a staff trying to show there are multiple paths from Morgantown to the NFL. The next step is figuring out which of them can turn promise into the kind of production scouts trust. [Read more 🡒]
WVU May Have Found A Breakout Defender Right On Time
Cam Torbor has gone from a name buried on the depth chart to one of the more intriguing defensive stories in Morgantown as West Virginia heads toward the season opener. The redshirt freshman linebacker came into camp with limited game action behind him, but his progress has been hard to ignore, especially after a relatively recent move from edge rusher to linebacker began to show real payoff. Rich Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Zac Alley have both singled out Torbors athleticism, speed and upside, and that kind of praise tends to matter when a staff is sorting out roles this close to kickoff.
What makes Torbor worth watching is that his rise is happening before he has fully settled into the position. He is expected to contribute right away and could even be in line to start in Week 1, which says plenty about both his development and the opportunity in front of him. The bigger question is how quickly he can turn raw tools into consistent production, because the Mountaineers appear to believe the ceiling is high even if the full All-Big 12 version of Torbor is still a year away. [Read more 🡒]