MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Praise was sparing in Neal Brown’s assessment of West Virginia’s fourth practice of training camp on Monday.
“I’m disappointed in today’s work,” Brown said. “I thought it was unfocused. Probably our most disappointing of the four. You’ve got to have a mature approach. We were mentally weak today.”
Neither veterans nor underclassmen were spared from criticism.
“I’m disappointed in two areas,” Brown said. “The first one is guys that have played meaningful snaps. They should be able to overcome some adversity, whether it’s the number of practices or coach-created adversity. I didn’t think some older guys handled it as well.”
Given West Virginia’s overall lack of playing experience this season, Brown wants younger players to step up their game since they’ll be needed. He didn’t see much evidence of that on Monday afternoon.
“Some younger guys have to transition,” Brown said. “Where we’re at as a program, they’re going to be counted on. They have to understand, your development is fast-forwarded. To do that you have to have the mental approach of ‘attack every single day to get better.’
“Today, I felt both groups had the attitude of ‘how do I get through this?’ and not ‘how do I improve at this?'”
The Mountaineers return to practice Tuesday. That practice is closed to the media, although that was the plan all along.
“As coaches we’ve got to do a better job getting them ready,” Brown said. “[Tuesday] we are going to have our hardest practice of fall camp. And that would have been the case even if we had our best practice today.
“It will be our first time with full pads on. We’ll have a lot of 11-on-11 work. I’m very interested in how we’ll approach tomorrow.”
Wheaton, McKivitz ‘most improved’ players
Brown’s comments weren’t all barbs.
Less than a week into practice, there’s no player he’s happier with than redshirt freshman wide receiver Bryce Wheaton.
“Bryce Wheaton would be our most improved offensive player from spring ball,” Brown said. “He had a lot of adversity in spring. He’s probably been coached harder than he has before. He got beat a lot. Rather than being sad, he went to work. He was named workout warrior multiple times this summer. He’s been really productive in camp.”
Brown’s pick for the second-most improved player is a bit of a surprise. He cited senior left tackle Colton McKivitz, who was already considered the team’s best pro prospect heading into camp.
“He played at a high level in the spring, but I really challenged him,” Brown said. “He was pretty good in spring. He strives to be better than pretty good. He strives to be great. He strives to be a high-round draft pick.”
Brown said McKivitz has become more well-rounded in several areas.
“His pass set is better. He has less wasted movement. He plays with better bend,” Brown said. “He has less wasted movement. His first step is more explosive. He’s more explosive at the point of contact.”
Bowden pays visit
Former Mountaineer Tommy Bowden was in attendance at Monday’s practice. Bowden was a wide receiver at WVU from 1973-76 before beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant for Frank Cignetti in 1977.
Bowden later served as Clemson’s head coach from 1999-2008.
“He looks young. He got out [of coaching] young,” Brown joked.
Bowden also has a personal connection with WVU defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, who coached for him at Clemson.
“He’s welcome here any time,” Brown said.
Sinkfield’s highlight-reel grab
Sophomore running back Alec Sinkfield demonstrated why he’ll be used out of the backfield and the slot as a receiving option this season during one-on-one drills.
Despite tight coverage by freshman safety Tykee Smith, Sinkfield adjusted to make a difficult catch of a Jack Allison pass in the corner of the end zone.
“Coming out of spring, we realized we have to use our running backs a variety of ways,” Brown said. “They’re going to give us some versatility. I’m pleased with [Kennedy] McKoy and [Alec] Sinkfield in the passing game.”
