On March 10, the West Virginia football team will officially begin its 2013 spring practice. With spring ball rapidly approaching, it’s time to take a quick peek at which position battles will be hashed out on the practice field over the coming months.
The most glaring of all will be at the quarterback position, where the Mountaineers will look to find the successor to Geno Smith—a three-year starter under center.
WVU will also have plenty of openings at wide receiver and may even tryout a new starting running back as well.
So before we spoil too much, let’s dive right in and check out our offensive position-by-position preview for West Virginia’s upcoming spring practice session.
Losses: Geno Smith
Returners: Paul Millard, Ford Childress, Logan Moore
Newcomers: Chavas Rawlins
With Geno Smith gone, the quarterback position will be the most prominent battle of West Virginia’s spring practice.
Paul Millard is the only player on the roster who brings back game experience.
However, it looks like redshirt freshman Ford Childress may be the favorite heading into the spring.
Childress, Millard and the athletic newbie Chavas Rawlins will be locked in some nice competition that will likely last until the fall and maybe even through the season.
Though Childress is the likely heir, keep an eye on Rawlins, who is easily the most athletic of the bunch.
His versatility and speed are enough to make him the clear dark horse in this race and could allow him to see the field early in his career.
Losses: Shawne Alston
Returners: Andrew Buie, Dustin Garrison
Newcomers: Dreamius Smith, Wendell Smallwood
Coming Soon: Jacky Marcellus
Even with the departure of Shawne Alston, the running back position will still bring back plenty of experience and talent with the duo of Andrew Buie and Dustin Garrison.
However, Buie and Garrison are both small, quick backs, so in that regard WVU will definitely miss Alston’s power presence.
Fortunately, Dreamius Smith could provide what Alston did and more. Smith has power similar to that of Alston, but he has some serious speed to burn as well.
With that skill set, Smith could use this spring and summer to take the starting position.
Losses: Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, J.D. Woods, Ryan Nehlen, Ivan McCartney, Travares Copeland
Returners: Jordan Thompson, Connor Arlia, Dante Campbell, K.J. Myers, Will Johnson, Devonte Mathis, Devonte Robinson
Newcomers: Kevin White, Daikiel Shorts
Coming Soon: Mario Alford, Shelton Gibson, Ronald Carswell
Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey shined at the NFL combine in late February and both look to be on their way to promising pro careers. J.D. Woods and Ryan Nehlen both graduated, while Ivan McCartney and Travares Copeland left the program.
With those heavy losses, it may be easy to assume that the cupboard is bare for West Virginia.
However, that certainly isn’t the case. Jordan Thompson and Connor Arlia bring the most production and experience back, but they both might end up taking on reserve roles.
WVU has plenty of talented pass catchers returning and even a couple more who have already come to campus for spring practice in Kevin White and Daikiel Shorts. Both have the physical ability to earn solid playing time in 2013.
Finally, the Mountaineers have three more newcomers who aren’t even on campus yet who could earn starting slots.
Mario Alford and Shelton Gibson were both very highly touted and highly talented recruits and may be WVU’s answer for the losses of Austin and Bailey.
Not to be shorted, Ronald Carswell is a JUCO prospect who was once a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Needless to say, he could make an early impact as well.
This spring is sure to be fun to watch between this group, and the summer will be even better.
Losses: Joe Madsen, Jeff Braun, Josh Jenkins
Returners: Pat Eger, Quinton Spain, Nick Kindler, Curtis Feigt, Marquis Lucas, Brandon Jackson, Russell Haughton-James, Mark Glowinski, Tony Matteo, Michael Calicchio, Tyler Orlosky, Adam Pankey
Newcomers: None
Coming Soon: Stone Underwood, Tyler Tezeno, Marcell Lazard, Grant Lingafelter
West Virginia must replace its longtime center Joe Madsen, who departed with 43 starts under his belt. Additionally, WVU lost two other starters in Jeff Braun and Josh Jenkins.
Luckily, there is a huge cast of returners that will be competing for the openings in the spring.
And because of the team’s inconsistencies at the position, there could be as many as four starting slots open.
Keep an eye on JUCO transfer Mark Glowinski, who could take one of those spots.
Also, when the summer rolls around, four more talented linemen will join the fray. Of that group, Stone Underwood, another JUCO transfer, could end up with Madsen’s center slot.
