MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ryan Nehlen saw something in the Oklahoma defense that he thought West Virginia could exploit at some point, and it just so happened to be on a 4th and 6 from the O.U. 38-yard line.
Rightfully so, Nehlen had been scouting the Sooners defense longer than any other person on the Mountaineers coaching staff.
On the play, slot receiver T.J. Simmons faked a slant rant, popped back outside, caught the pass and sprinted 35 yards for the score. The Sooners secondary was a jumbled mess, which helped free Simmons to score WVU’s first touchdown of the game.
“It was a play off of the 3rd down call that was a run — I had an idea that I thought would work,” Nehlen said. “It ended up working out.”
Getting a chance to help call touchdown plays is something Nehlen hopes becomes a regular thing as he continues to work his way through the coaching ranks. The grandson of former WVU coach Don Nehlen, Ryan is in his second season at the offensive analyst for the Mountaineers after bouncing around different schools — Akron, Marshall and Michigan.
He also spent the 2015 season as the receivers coach at Glenville State.
But when the University High and WVU grad got the opportunity to come home in 2018 as WVU’s offensive analyst, he jumped at it — even if it’s not necessarily the type of coaching role Nehlen wants to eventually get into.
“I was a graduate assistant before I was an analyst, so there was a little bit of a transition just from being off the field coaching — you aren’t allowed to be on the field as an analyst,” Nehlen said. “It’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, but it’s been good. We get to watch a lot of film, and with me wanting to be a coach, I think that’s really beneficial. You’re in the film room, breaking down opponents, and that’s going to help me in the future.”
With a different coaching staff in 2018 under Dana Holgorsen to now under Neal Brown, Nehlen said he’s doing certain things differently, but overall, the responsibility is the same — get ahead.
Nehlen’s main job is to scout opponents a week ahead of the rest of the coaches. For example, while West Virginia is preparing to take on Baylor on Oct. 31, Nehlen will watch film on Texas Tech, which is the Mountaineers’ opponent on Nov. 9.
Once WVU moves on to the Red Raiders after the Baylor game, Nehlen will already have film and game plans to help the coaches get a kick start on preparations.
“When that week comes, I want to prepare the coaches to the best of my ability,” he said. “Analysts are a little bit new, but they’re coming on and I think they’re good for the game.”
Brown admitted to using different analytics companies to help with game prep, which is a popular trend across all sports — using numbers and percentages to find trends. Nehlen stays in contact with those companies and then gives the reports to Brown.
“Ryan’s done a great job and has good experience,” Brown said. “Obviously, he cares about this place a great deal. He’s developing as a football coach — schematically, he’s done a really nice job. He does a good job of getting us ready and stays a week ahead.
“He’s making a positive impact here.”
Football isn’t the only thing keeping Nehlen busy these days. He and his wife, Micah, welcomed a baby girl, Penelope Ryan Nehlen, on July 8, just a few weeks before fall camp began.
“It’s been a little hard during football season — luckily she was born July 8, which gave me 2 1/2 weeks or so before the actual season started, so I was able to adjust to being a new dad. It’s been long hours here, but Micah, my wife, does an unbelievable job. She stays at home with her and I give all the credit to (her).”
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