Amare Grayson Details the Rick Trickett Moments That ‘Threw Him Off’

Bubba talks about his relationship with his offensive line coach and how he has helped him become a better player.

WVU Athletics Communications

Rich Rodriguez and Rick Trickett are both demanding coaches who will stress effort and detail to the fullest extent. There is no tolerance for slacking or loafing for them, and if they see it, oh boy. You're going to get chewed out. They coach hard, but care deeply for their players.

WVU offensive lineman Amare "Bubba" Grayson's first interaction with the seasoned o-line coach came during his recruitment back in high school, and at first he couldn't believe a guy who was under six feet and well under 200 pounds coached the big fellas in the trenches.

“My first time meeting him was in high school. He came down to my school and visited. My coach from high school called me, and I went in there, and I was like *squints* he coaches o-line?"

Grayson knew pretty early that Trickett was a guy he wanted to play for, stating, "The first time I talked to him, I just felt the energy, and I was like, yeah, this is my guy right here. And then when I stepped on campus at Jacksonville, he pretty much just set it straight. He was like, ‘I’m going to coach you hard, and I’m going to love you at the same time.’ And I needed that.”

The other moment that surprised Grayson was during his first practice with him at Jax State.

“I was aware that he was a vet, but I didn’t know he knew how to flip the switch like this, and it threw me off the first time; I’m not going to lie.”

WVU Athletics Communications

Despite being about half the size of the guys he coaches and being in his late 70s, Trickett can have a bit of an intimidation factor. He will absolutely get his guys in line and hold them accountable if they aren't doing what they are supposed to, on or off the field. He's been doing this for a really long time and has produced several NFL players throughout his career, so when he speaks, guys usually listen.

For Grayson in particular, he wasn't quite ready for Power Four football coming out of high school. Although you may remember that Neal Brown and his staff did recruit Grayson a little bit and even had him on campus for a visit before going in another direction. Trickett ironed out some of the inconsistencies in his game, helping turn him into a high-caliber lineman in Conference USA.

“Basically being consistent," Grayson said when asked about Trickett's message to him. "Knowing that, hey, if I take my first step in hat placement, I’m going to get to where I need to be every time. That has really helped me as an offensive lineman because in high school that was my biggest thing — I couldn’t stay consistent with one thing. It was something different every time. He really harped on that, and then if you don’t get it correct, we got guys that were going to work on it. That’s the biggest thing I love about how he coaches.”

Last season at Jax State, Grayson allowed just nine pressures, seven hurries, one QB hit, and one sack. Having Grayson in the fold at right guard will go a long way in improving West Virginia's biggest weakness from a year ago.