MORGANTOWN — Trevon Wesco had dreams of playing major Division I football while he was at Musselman High seven years ago.
He just never thought he’d be playing fullback at a Power Five school.
Wesco, West Virginia’s senior tight end, will dabble in the backfield as well as along the line of scrimmage, depending on where the coaches need him. He came through the junior college ranks at Lackawanna (Pa.) as a tight end before joining the Mountaineers.
The last years in Morgantown, Wesco was strictly a tight end, but he is also playing a similar role to what Elijah Wellman did the last few seasons as a lead blocker out of the backfield.
That’s a far cry from the 212-pound all-state receiver Wesco was as a junior with the Applemen.
“I never thought I would be this big,” the now 272-pounder said. “A lot of things have changed since then. At least all of the weight has gone in the right places, so it hasn’t been that bad of a transition.”
The only real problem Wesco’s had was his wardrobe.
“I went from large to XL to XXL real quick,” he said.
The transition to fullback means Wesco will be exposed to more hits and collisions that he ever has in his football career, but the potential for head injuries is the furthest thing from his mind.
“I just love to play football and will do anything to help the team win. This is something I signed up for,” he said.
Giver of the feather
Gary Jennings’ look on the field had a noticeable change as the season went on last year when feathers stuck out of the air vents of his helmet.
Officials eventually made him take them out during games, but the feathers remained during practice, and it all originated on the practice field to begin with.
“A bird swooped down twice and the first time, I was just like, ‘What the heck was that?’ ” Jennings said. “Then the second time, I swatted — the bird was fine, by the way — but I got some feathers, so I just decided to stick them in my helmet.”
Fast-forward to this summer and Jennings wanted an upgrade, so he sought help from teammate and avid hunter Colton McKivitz.
McKivitz perused the mounts in his apartment and plucked a few feathers off a turkey he shot earlier this year.
“Gary asked me if I could get him some and it’s pretty sweet that he wears them,” McKivitz said. “He likes the turkey ones the best because they have a couple cool colors in them, so it’s definitely a cool thing to share that with Gary.”
Quotable
“I saw it, but as of now, if it happens then it happens. I’m not too mad about the redshirt thing anymore. If the time comes and they want me to say something, then I will.” — running back Martell Pettaway on new redshirt rule becoming retroactive.
In 2016, Pettaway’s redshirt was burned in the 11th game of the season against Iowa State. The new rule adopted by the NCAA allows players to participate in up to four games and still be eligible for a redshirt.
Sills flashes mullet
If last season’s team-high 13 knockdowns didn’t stand out enough, Josh Sills has added a dyed-blonde mullet.
The 6-foot-5 offensive lineman showed off the two-toned hairdo Friday, promising that “Oh yeah, I’m going to let it grow.”
Just don’t seek out symbolism behind a look that resembles a “Joe Dirt” extra.
“Just something I wanted to do,” Sills said, adding that his girlfriend assisted with the bleaching. “She was like, ‘It’s your hair, do what you want.’”
