Eighty-three days after its Liberty Bowl win, the West Virginia football team returned to the field.
The Mountaineers opened spring practice on Wednesday morning, and following tradition, Day 1 resulted in more questions than answers. Head coach Neal Brown met with the media to answer questions as the team prepares for its April 24 spring game.
Brown doesn’t anticipate naming starters until fall.
Up and down the Mountaineers’ roster, questions arise, such as how the team will replace the production of leading tackler Tony Fields, who will cement positions for themselves on the offensive line and who will be taking snaps under center.
With months in between now and the beginning of fall practice, Brown plans on taking things slowly. Instead of rushing into crafting a depth chart, he plans to focus on instruction during the spring.
“We go into spring and, not to be redundant but, this is a teaching environment here,” Brown said. “We’re trying to teach. We want to get as many people reps as possible.”
In addition to the departure of Fields, the Mountaineers will turn to a handful of youth in order to replace players like Darius Stills on the defensive line and Dreshun Miller in the secondary.
“We’re really not coming out of spring with starters at any position; we’ve got people that maybe perform better so they’ll get the first opportunity in fall camp,” Brown said. “Our record at the end of spring is going to be 0-0. To me, we’re not going to play any games, so we’re not in a spot where starters and backups matter.”
Spring Valley’s Doug Nester making strides
Arguably one of the most impactful first-year players for WVU is Virginia Tech transfer and Kenova native Doug Nester. Brown says he fits his reputation.
“Our hope is that he’s going to be a significant player for us, and I haven’t seen anything that makes me think any different,” Brown said. “I’ve been really, really pleased with how he’s approached his work ethic and all those things since he’s been here.”
Nester, a four-star offensive lineman from the class of 2019, announced his return to the Mountain State earlier this offseason after two seasons with the Hokies. He started 10 games as a true freshman with the Hokies, and played in eight games during the 2020 season.
Ciarrocca adds trusted experience to offensive staff
Weeks after adding ShaDon Brown and Andrew Jackson to the defensive staff, the Mountaineers have added an additional 30 years of experience to the offense.
The program announced the hiring of Kirk Ciarrocca earlier this week, who will serve as an offensive analyst. He was the offensive coordinator at Penn State during the 2020 season, but was fired following the team’s 4-5 season.
“I think his body of work speaks for itself,” Brown said. “If you look at what he did at Western Michigan and then at Minnesota — and they played well last year, I think some of that got blown out of proportion at Penn State. I think he’s as good as anybody in the country.”
Prior to his one-year stint with the Nittany Lions, Ciarrocca served as the offensive coordinator at Minnesota for two seasons. In 2016, as the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan, he helped lead the Broncos to a conference championship and appearance in the Cotton Bowl.
Ciarrocca and Brown worked on the same coaching staff at the University of Delaware in 2005, with Ciarrocca serving as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach and Brown serving as the wide receivers coach.
Field goal competition
Another competition likely to be closely watched in the leadup to Week 1 is the field goal job, which has a handful of contenders.
Following a season-ending injury to Hampshire graduate Evan Staley against Kansas State last season, Casey Legg and Tyler Sumpter traded opportunities at the role. The three are all in contention to become the No. 1 guy this fall.
“Tyler finished the year. (He) was OK in the bowl game, but he’s been consistent throughout his career in that role, both at Troy and here,” Brown said. “I thought Casey, when he first got in the game after Evan got hurt, I thought he did a good job and kind of fell off. I think he’s more healthy now than he was as far as just being fresh and his leg looks stronger.
One of the blessings that comes with spring practice is time. With the Mountaineers having months before Week 1, Brown anticipates that he’ll take as much time as he’ll need before deciding on a pecking order.
“We’re basically splitting reps right now and we’ll put those guys in some more pressure situations as we get into practice. We’re not necessarily going to crown anybody the winner after spring, that will carry into fall, and we’ll see where Evan’s at as well.”