MORGANTOWN — West Virginia’s pass rush tailed off a bit in 2022. The Mountaineers got to opposing quarterbacks 26 times in 12 games, the team averaged more than 30 from 2018-21, excluding the shortened 2020 season.
The sack lead in 2022 was dynamic defensive tackle, although he only finished the year with 4.5. The team’s top edge rusher, veteran Jared Barlett, was only credited with 2.5 sacks. Bartlett, however, says that sacks don’t tell the whole story of a pass rush’s success.
“I think the most important aspect of pass rush is affecting the quarterback, whether that be a pressure or a hit,” Bartlett said this spring. “Sacks are a premium so if sacks are the main outcome, the top pass rushers in the world would have 30 sacks a year. As long as you affect the quarterback, that’s all that
matters.”
Bartlett, a redshirt-junior, will lead a very inexperienced group of pass rushers for the Mountaineers this season. He, James Heard Jr., Taurus Simmons and Tyrin Bradley will be the team’s primary bandit linebackers while Anthony Del Negro, Brayden Dudley, Derek Berlitz, Harry Hilverty and Zachariah Keith are listed as athletic defensive ends.
“You can definitely tell there are more experienced guys now after last year,” Bartlett said. “You gain experience through the years and you can tell guys are getting more confident in how they play. It’s really exciting to see guys take the next step and grow as players.”
Bartlett will lead the group in his fifth season as a Mountaineer and is looking for his first breakout impact campaign.
“He’s playing the run better, I think he has less wasted movement,” head coach Neal Brown said of Bartlett. “He had a good winter, he put on some good weight. Less false steps, he’s using his hands better, he’s setting up some of our movement stuff better and he’s more patient, which comes with maturity.”
The top option on the edge behind Bartlett will be the exciting freshman Heard from Camden, N.J. Coaches raved about Heard’s natural pass-rush ability throughout the spring.
“Probably as natural of a pass rusher as we’ve recruited,” Brown said. “He’ll be a factor for us, he’ll play in the fall.”
“With your primary pass rushers, the first thing to evaluate is first step,” defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley added. “If they don’t have that, they don’t have anything. It really doesn’t matter after that. (Heard is) on you pretty quick, which is why he’s here and that’s the way he’s going to be used.”
Simmons, a sophomore, has two sacks in three seasons at WVU. Bradley is a linebacker who transferred in from FCS Abilene Christian this offseason. The Texas native had 10.5 tackles for loss with four sacks last season.
With 2022 sacks leader Dante Stills now in the NFL, Bartlett thinks it will be up to everyone to maintain a balance between WVU’s inside and outside pass rushers.
“I think a lot of guys need to carry more weight now, to put it plainly,” he said. “We have the guys to do that…I think pass rush in general is pretty conjoined. It’s a mutual relationship between (inside and outside pass rushers).”
Del Negro played primarily on special teams in 2022 and Dudley played in two games as depth while Berlitz and Hilvert redshirted. Keith joins the team as a true freshman.
Projected Depth Chart
Bandit
Jared Bartlett, R-Jr.
James Heard Jr, Fr.
Tyrin Bradley, Jr. (Abilene Christian)
Taurus Simmons, So.
Edge
Anthony Del Negro, 5th Year
Brayden Dudley, R-So.
Derek Berlitz, R-Fr.
Harry Hilverty, R-Fr.
Oryend Fisher, Fr.
Donovan Grayson, Fr.
Zachariah Keith, Fr.
The Dominion Post will be previewing WVU football by position in the lead-up to the 2023 season. Previews of offensive positions will be published on Saturdays and defensive position previews on Sundays throughout the summer.
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