MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — On Day 1 of spring practice, Neal Brown believes one of the most impressive things he saw was explosive plays by the West Virginia offense, especially in the passing game.
On the same token, one of the things he was less than pleased with was the defensive backfield allowing those big plays.
That’s the give and take of any practice and going up against yourself — good plays typically mean bad plays by your counterpart, so finding that balance is key. For the Mountaineers secondary, this entire spring will be a lesson in finding an identity as the least experienced unit on the team, especially at cornerback.
Gone are Keith Washington and Hakeem Bailey, who were both the no-doubt starting corners when healthy last season. Despite missing three games due to injury, Washington was named second team All-Big 12, while Bailey was a veteran presence on the other side.
However, in Washington’s absence, true freshman Nicktroy Fortune was thrown into the fire and responded well, playing in nine games. Now a sophomore, Fortune appears to be one of the early favorites to grab one of the starting cornerback spots.
“Nicktroy Fortune has had a really good offseason,” Brown said. “He’s a guy that if you go back, he made a couple really good plays in that TCU game to finish up. One of them was on that last drive — didn’t use great technique, got beat and did a little detail thing we talk about all the time with his hands, punching up through the ball, and made a big play.”
Another true sophomore who got his feet wet last year was Tae Mayo. He played in just three games, but had a start at Oklahoma, replacing Bailey, who was suspended the first half because of a targeting foul the previous game.
Brown said Mayo has a long way to go, but has made impressive strides since the end of last year.
The remainder of cornerbacks the Mountaineers will need to rely on have yet to see the field at WVU. Perhaps the most intriguing is Dreshun Miller, who was supposed to be an important part of the cornerback rotation last year, but a nagging injury forced him to miss the entire season. Miller, a 4-star juco recruit, instead took a redshirt in 2019, and Brown believes that will help him in the long run.
“Dreshun will go through practice in the spring and he’s gone through our entire winter workout phase,” Brown said. “I think the redshirt, in hindsight, is going to be a positive for him.”
Another juco product, Jackie Matthews, was a first team junior college All-American last season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, helping the program win the national championship. Brown mentioned Matthews has impressed early and is someone he believes will be a key in the secondary down the line.
Alonzo Addae, cousin of cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae, transferred from New Hampshire prior to the 2019 season and sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. Now a senior, Addae has experience, though not at the Power 5 level.
“It’s gonna be fun to watch Alonzo Addae,” Brown said. “He was one of our high spots on scout team last year, and it’ll be fun to get him back in the action.”
Lastly, early enrollee Jairo Faverus, a native of Amsterdam, is getting acclimated with not only moving to a new town, but a new country. In due time, Brown expects Faverus, at 6-foot and 198 pounds, to work his way toward the top of the cornerback group.
“He’s a guy that, physically, is ready to play,” Brown said. “He’s in a new country with a bunch of different dynamics working there, but he’s a guy that’s going to get a lot of reps this spring and will get better.”
Mohigans making an impact
The WVU walk-on program has been kind to former Morgantown High players in the past, and according to Brown, there are two who are standing out through winter workouts and into spring practice.
Nick Malone, who played for the Mohigans from 2015-18 along the offensive and defensive lines, has shined bright and caught the eyes of his coaches following his redshirt season in 2019 on the o-line.
“Nick Malone, a guy from right here in town, is a guy that as his body matures — I’m not sure it’ll happen this fall, but at some point — he’ll be a guy that can help us,” Brown said.
Kyle Poland played at MHS from 2012-15 and is in a battle for the starting long-snapper spot after the graduation of Rex Sunahara. Poland, a redshirt senior, is in competition with redshirt sophomore J.P. Hadley. .
“We had a little competition at the end of [Tuesday’s practice] that Hadley won, but Poland will have an opportunity tomorrow to get it back,” Brown said.
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