MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia offensive lineman James Gmiter had his name mispronounced several times during the Mountaineers’ TV broadcasts, but it doesn’t bother him too much because even his own family can’t decide on the correct way to say it.
The Pittsburgh native, who was a 2018 graduate of Bethel Park, said it just depends on which side of Pittsburgh you grew up on how you pronounce Gmiter.
“If you’re from the North side, it’s Gm-I-ter (with a hard I), and if you’re from the South side like I am, it’s Gm-i-ter (with a soft I),” Gmiter said. “Depending on which side of Pittsburgh you go to, either one’s right.”
How interchangeable the pronunciation of his last name is is a perfect metaphor for how Gmiter’s playing career has gone so far at West Virginia. As a redshirt freshman, he made his first start against N.C. State at left guard and has gotten the bulk of the snaps there the last three games.
Offensive line was the original position Gmiter thought he was going to play in college, but that quickly changed when he first arrived on campus last summer. The previous coaching staff under defensive coordinator Tony Gibson decided to move Gmiter to the defensive line, where he worked his redshirt season.
When the new staff arrived in January, Gmiter heard rumblings in the locker room that he was going to make the move to offense.
“There had been some talk in the locker room about it, so I went to the coaches to ask about it and tell them I was for it,” Gmiter said. “Coach (Matt) Moore said they wanted to do it, so we made the move. I wasn’t worried about it. I was accepting the role. I just put my head down and kept working.”
Flipping from offense to defense can frustrate many players, especially when your redshirt season is used learning how to play one position, only to be wiped out a couple months later to learn a new one on the opposite side of the ball.
However, the thought of a transfer never crossed Gmiter’s mind. A philosophy of finishing what you start was instilled in him by his grandfather, James Beeson, who worked as a police dispatcher and steel mill worker in Pittsburgh before passing away in 2015.
“He was all about doing what was best for the family and for the team,” Gmiter said.
Making the switch wasn’t easy, but working on the defensive line for a season helped Gmiter understand what D-linemen try to do against an offensive lineman. That’s about all he can take from his time on defense, though.
“It has been harder mentally than physically,” Gmiter said. “You come over to the offensive line and you have to understand who to go to, where to go to and how to get to blitzes. They switch fronts and you have to understand each front. That differs your block.”
After struggling the first two weeks, the offensive line needed a shakeup. Against N.C. State, Gmiter earned the start at left guard, while fellow redshirt freshman Briason Mays got his first start at center. Part of the same recruiting class in 2018, both were nervous before the game, but appreciated that they had each other.
“We talked about it Friday night at the hotel — how nervous we were,” Gmiter said. “It didn’t really hit us, but Saturday morning at the pregame meal, we both kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Oh boy, here it is.’ ”
