MORGANTOWN — It might be taken for granted just how ingrained into American society football truly is.
College football players in the U.S. grow up so immersed in the game that, by the time they reach the collegiate ranks, things like rules, terminology and strategy are all second nature. It’s not the same across the Atlantic, where American football is much more of a niche interest.
That’s why when WVU coach Neal Brown got ahead of the curve in recruiting European players, it has taken a few seasons of work for them to reach the point of being positive contributors for the Mountaineers.
Junior defensive end Edward Vesterinen of Finland has the most playing time among WVU’s foreign imports, racking up 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 20 games played, but even he is just now reaching a point where he’s comfortable with the sport.
“Just from a language standpoint and football jargon, he’s now able to understand the game,” WVU defensive line coach Andrew Jackson said. “He’s always played hard, but now I think he knows the nuances of the game and he can reciprocate what he’s seeing and what he’s learning back to me and we can have a full football conversation.”
Jackson said it was previously difficult for Vesterinen to articulate exactly what he was seeing on the field.
“We were kind of using sign language, drawing stuff on the board trying to figure out what the hell we were saying to each other,” Jackson said. “Now I think he can understand and see the big picture.”
Now, these players weren’t being recruited for their football knowledge, more for their physical gifts and potential, something Brown says Vesterinen has always shown.
“EV’s a dog, I love that guy, he can play,” Brown said after a team scrimmage Saturday. “He’s the same every day, he’s consistent, he works extremely hard and he’s got a great motor, which is one of the best compliments I can give a d-lineman. He’s been really good on special teams for us, he’s coachable — you can go over something in the meeting room or the walkthrough and he’s going to do it — and he doesn’t repeat mistakes.”
WVU’s first foray into Europe netted them linebacker Jairo Faverus from the Netherlands, who has been exclusively a special teams player since 2020, making three tackles in 13 career games, but could also see an increased role this season.
“Jai is probably, over a three-year period, has made as big of a jump football-wise and understanding the game as anybody we’ve had,” Brown said. “He’s going to be a plus special teams player for us and I think as he continues to develop, he’s going to be a guy who sees some defensive snaps.”
The highest-profile European WVU has signed might be Swedish tight end Victor Wikstrom, who was rated as a three-star prospect and top-50 tight end in the 2021 class.
“This is a big spring for him,” Brown said. “He’s got to continue to come on.”
Wikstrom has played in two games in two seasons and did not play at all in 2022. With the Mountaineers looking to better utilize their tight ends this season, he may be in the mix for more action alongside LSU transfer Kole Taylor and redshirt-freshman Will Dixon.
WVU also has Germany-native Aric Burton coming off of his redshirt season, but he played high school football at Clearwater International Academy in Florida before signing with the Mountaineers.
Another foreign product on WVU is sophomore Oliver Straw, who continues the recent trend of Australian punters finding success in the states.
Straw had a stellar freshman season in 2022, putting 49 times with an average of 42.5 yards. He had eight punts of over 50 yards and downed 18 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
“I thought he had a tremendous freshman year and he can only build off of that,” Brown said.
With Saturday’s scrimmage marking the halfway point of WVU’s spring schedule — practice seven of 15 — the Mountaineers will now switch from individual and position group work to more of a team focus as the Blue and Gold Spring Game nears.
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