Rain in the morning. Scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High around 75F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Showers and thundershowers in the evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Updated: April 11, 2024 @ 1:31 am
In the forefront, left, WVU football coach Neal brown’s son Dax clings to the shoulders of quarterback Garrett Greene as the team takes a break from workouts.
In the forefront, left, WVU football coach Neal brown’s son Dax clings to the shoulders of quarterback Garrett Greene as the team takes a break from workouts.
MORGANTOWN — As West Virginia turns toward the second half of its 2024 spring football practice, it is becoming apparent that there are the makings of a very special offensive group on hand, but to get it to perform at its highest level will take the balance of the Great Wallenda walking the tightrope.
Even with the offenses that Dana Holgorsen put together in his best seasons during his tenure as Mountaineer coach, one has to go back to the Rich Rodriguez-Pat White-Steve Slaton days to recreate the anticipation that this season is creating.
It is advertised as a run-first offense with a budding superstar running back in Jaheim White and with a power runner in CJ Donaldson keeping the defense from simply selling out on stopping White.
But, at the same time, there are whispers that the many talents of quarterback Garrett Greene could turn him into a Heisman contender as he is scary when he runs the ball, even more frightening when he throws it deep and he is working hard to become proficient on his possession passes.
Put this together with what is potentially the best receiving corps the Mountaineers have had since Holgorsen’s Air Raid assaults and they may need two or three footballs to take advantage of their weapons.
The passing game grew all through last season as the receivers, of unknown quality coming into the year, discovered who they were and how good they could be. Truth is, WVU was one pass play short of a 10-win system, a throw late in the Pitt game that went through the hands of a receiver, directly into the hands of a stunned Panther defensive back, allowing him to take it in for a touchdown that beat the Mountaineers.
This year, the second year under receiver coach Bilal Marshall and the second year Garrett has worked with the likes of Hudson Clement, Rodney Gallagher, Traylon Ray, EJ Horton and the first year with Oklahoma State transfer Jaylen Bray, could be a breakout year for the passing game.
No one denies the talent that group displays, but the best of the lot may well be a local kid who came of age last year in Preston Fox, a player who seemed to have one spectacular catch on his dance card every time the band struck up “Country Roads.”
Fox has put together a marvelous spring.
“It’s not even close; the most consistent guy in the receiver room is Preston Fox,” Marshall said this week. “He’s showing up every day and making plays.”
A year ago, Marshall compared his consistency to that of a Honda Accord, meaning it as a compliment. He hasn’t backed off that.
“I made a joke about the Honda Accord last year, but it’s so true. He’s very dependable. He made such a commitment during the offseason to his body. He’s so much bigger and stronger that he’s not falling all over the place, not getting moved off his line. He’s doing everything that he’s supposed to do and he has been a productive receiver this spring.”
He is a possession receiver surrounded by a cast of budding big time playmakers, headed by the former walk-on from Martinsburg, Hudson Clement.
Clement had 22 catches for 480 yards and four touchdowns as he shed his walk-on status in favor of mid-year scholarship.
“I think his season, to everybody, exceeded expectations,” Marshall said. “He’s just got something to him where he’s confident and he’s going to make a play. The moment is never too big for him.”
He literally came out of nowhere and radiated a certain star quality from the moment he burst loose against Duquesne.
“The guy can score touchdowns,” Marshall said. “No. 2, he’s elite with the ball in his hands. The unique thing about Hudson that a lot of people don’t talk about is he can break tackles.”
“Think about the touchdown he had against Houston – broken tackle.” Marshall said, referring to what seemed to be a game-winning score with less than a minute to play, only to have Houston come back down the field and steal the game away on a Hail Mary completion.
“Think about the touchdown he had against Duquesne – broken tackle. The TCU touchdown that was called back – broken tackle. That’s the characteristic for him. In Saturday’s practice he took it for about 65 yards – another broken tackle. That’s what sets him apart.”
But there are other big plays waiting to happen each time Greene drops to pass. The Mountaineers are still waiting for last season’s most heralded recruit, Rodney Gallagher, to figure his game out.
“I think he’s getting there,” Marshall said. “He’s still not where I would like him as a route runner, still working through it but he covers up a lot of his mistakes through effort. He plays hard and he’s not scared. I think this summer it’ll really start to click for him as a receiver.”
There are others.
Speed demon EJ Horton stretches the field and he seems to understand that his speed alone can’t get it done and is working on adding other assets to his game.
“His word this spring is consistent,” Marshall said. “I asked him, ‘Do you just want to be a one-trick pony and just run down the field?’ The answer is no, you want to be a complete receiver with a consistent approach.” When he’s not just running over the top of people, he’s running good routes and making some deep, contested catches, which is something we haven’t seen a whole lot from him.
“He can be as good as he wants to be. I tell him he can play on Sundays because he can run. No one can run like him on this team. I tell him, ‘If you are able to put it together, you can be a dude.'”
Traylon Ray is another young receiver who Marshall has been high on and now Marshall has added an experienced receiver in Oklahoma State transfer, Jaylen Bray, who had 48 catches for 686 yards and and three touchdowns in four seasons in Stillwater.
“He’s still raw as a receiver. He’s still figuring out how to play the position, but the kid is strong, very strong. He has a grown man’s strength. The other kids call him Optimus Prime because he looks like a Transformer out there,” Marshall said.
The tools are all there for a prolific offense. In the spring they are learning about each other and the system, expecting to put it all together in time for a home opener against Penn State.
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