Beyond the QB Battle: Four Big Storylines Around WVU Football This Fall Camp

The Mountaineers are still waiting on a decision from the NCAA regarding the eligibility of pass rusher Jimmori Robinson, running back Tye Edwards, wide receiver Jeffrey Weimer, and safety Justin Harrington. WVU knew there was a risk in taking each of these guys, but felt strong about their chances of getting afforded an additional year. Camp starts tomorrow, and they still don't have an answer.

Robinson was the American's Defensive Player of the Year last season, racking up 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks — losing him would be a big hit to the Mountaineers' pass rush. Edwards is a big, physical running back who can take on short-yardage and goal-line duties, eliminating some hits on Jahiem White and Jaylan Knighton. Weimer gives WVU more experience and proven production at receiver and would, without question, be a top four or five guy in the rotation. And Harrington, well, he is in line to start at one of the safety spots.

What happens at both tackle spots?

I'm telling you, every week I get a different sense of how this is going to play out. The interior of the o-line appears to be pretty set with Walter Young Bear at left guard, Landen Livingston at center, and Kimo Makane'ole at right guard, but the two tackle spots are tough to read. Someone can emerge at both positions throughout fall camp and put this concern to bed rather quickly, but I have a feeling we're going to see multiple guys get a chance — Nick Krahe, Malik Agbo, Donovan Haslem, Ty'Kieast Crawford, Xavier Bausley, and Mickel Clay. The earlier they find answers, the better.

My best guess? Agbo or Krahe wins the job at left tackle, and Crawford is the guy at right tackle. My thoughts on that could change entirely after a couple of weeks of practice are in the books.

Can two key players return to form?

No news is good news. Heading into fall camp, we haven't heard of any significant injuries on the Mountaineers' roster. Now, that could change when Rich Rodriguez speaks to the media on Wednesday, but it appears that they'll be beginning camp in a good spot health-wise.

The two guys I have the biggest concerns with are wide receiver Jaden Bray and defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen. No one has indicated that there have been any setbacks or that they aren't 100%, so don't read it as that. This is more about how they're going to look after missing most of last season.

Yes, Bray participated in spring ball, but he missed a lot of time last year. It's important that he stays healthy so he can learn his role in this new offense and establish himself as a top receiving threat. Last fall camp, he had the look of being WR1. Does he look like that again? Or is he just going to be a guy?

Vesterinen suffered a nasty lower-body injury in the win over UAlbany that cost him the rest of the season. Anytime big guys deal with serious lower-body injuries, you have to be concerned with how they'll bounce back. Can he be the same guy he was before the injury? Can he still handle the same workload? My guess is yes, he will, but we'll get a good read on that early in camp.

How the defense is learning Zac Alley's complex scheme

We heard Rich Rodriguez state several times during spring ball that he had to tell Alley to dial it back a bit when it came to installing blitzes because he had so many ideas that he wanted to implement. Not only could it be information overload for the defense, but it wasn't allowing the offense to do certain things because they had to deal with his aggressive approach of sending a blitz on nearly every play.

One thing you'll see a lot of in Alley's defenses is a lot of pre-snap movement. Just before the ball is snapped, you'll see linebackers and defensive backs rotating, shifting the picture for the quarterback — it's art when done successfully. Understanding that pre-snap movement, the timing of it, and being in the right place when the ball is snapped puts a lot of pressure on players as opposed to staying in one place.

Because Alley loves to send numbers at the quarterback, it's crucial that the secondary is where they need to be, but also understands where the patches of grass will be that are voided by a second-level blitzer. With so many new faces coming from all over the place, it's going to take some time before Alley can truly throw the kitchen sink at someone. Right now, they just need to get the base of the defense down.

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