Quick Hits: Roster Update, Possible Additions, Position Battles, Latimer Eval + More

Today was the final time that WVU head football coach Rich Rodriguez would meet with the media until next Wednesday. He had a lot to say and gave an update on several position battles.

Bringing Jacob Barrick and Jason Chambers back

“He (Barrick) just decided he wants to coach now, so he’s not going to be the first player/coach since Dusty Rutledge. Also, part of the decision was to pursue his master’s degree and go that way. It’s going to be good to have him on the staff, and I think our tight end room is going to be pretty solid once we get everybody healthy. And Jason’s been good. He’s slowly getting into shape, and I don’t know if anybody knows if that’s going to hold up next week. I hope everybody gets some clarity on the eligibility of all those guys, but we’ll find out next week. Jason started for us last year, and he’s a pretty good football player. He’s in pretty good shape. He missed a few months with our strength staff, obviously, but he’s a smart, competitive guy and he’s played a lot of football. He certainly can help us.”

If there is more playable depth this year

“I think there’s more guys that we can probably prepare that we can win with. I just look at it as: is he good enough to win with or is he not? I have a goal to play the most players in the country, but I’m not going to play them just to play them. But I do think we are more competitive at all the positions than we were a year ago. And we’ll be more competitive a year ago.”

Update on the tight end room

Ryan Ward is a solid guy. He was having a great summer. He’s a little limited, but he’ll be back here hopefully in a few days. Cam Ball got nicked up a little bit, but he’s a transfer that we really like. Josh Sapp is a transfer we brought in, and Josh, the last couple of days have been his best practices. He’s gotten better and better every day, and he’s played a lot of football. We have some young guys in Kade Bush, Xavier Anderson, Carter Zuliani, Sam Hamilton — they’re all going to be really good players. Kade Bush is probably of all the young guys has taken the biggest leap in the last week or so.”

What he’s looking for in the scrimmage

“First, football is such a technical game from a standpoint in every position is unique. We need all those guys to fundamentally be getting better, but also we’ve got to have a game plan starting here in about a week. So to be able to run our offense, run our defense, run our schemes that we have, combined with still getting better.”

How the depth is coming at RB

“It’s been really good competition. I mean, the big guy, Amari Latimer, is what we thought he was — a 230-pound, downhill guy. He’s a really good football player. We knew he was going to play when we signed him, and he’s had a really good camp. But (Chris) Talley, (Andre) Devine, (Lawrence) Autry showed some things, (Martavious) Boswell, Darius Morant — all those guys have showed a little something.”

Not announcing starting quarterback

“I don’t need to tell anybody. In fact, I think it’s kind of intriguing. If you want to find out who is going to start, buy a ticket and come to great Mountaineer Field. You can tailgate until 12:58, but make sure you get in in time because at 1 o’clock we might be kicking off or kickoff return, and we’ll see who runs out there. I’m going to know before then. I may know before I tell the coaches. I may know right now. Probably do. I like you guys, I really do, but I ain’t giving you the scoop, so you got to keep coming back. Come back to the next media opportunity, and you still won’t know.”

“It’s not really (a strategic advantage). I mean, obviously, if they were completely different guys, you prepare defensively a little bit different. But when all of our guys run all of our plays, and they’re very similar, it doesn’t make a big advantage. So if it doesn’t make a difference, why don’t you go ahead and announce the guy? I don’t feel like it today.”

The field goal kicker competition

“That is probably one position where we are still…you talk about legitimate competition…big Jack (Cassidy) has the strongest leg, but Nate (Flower) has done a great job. He’s been really consistent. And Peter (Notaro) has been banged up most of the summer, so he’s kind of catching up. If you were to ask right now who would kick the 35-yard field goal today, I’m really not being coy; I don’t know. It’s one of the three. It’s wide-open competition.”

Pursuing more players

“There are others that if the transfer thing comes through and you didn’t have to be in the portal, there’s a couple that played at other teams that are potentially eligible. But we really haven’t pursued it much because I think it’s so much gray area. They may approve the guys who return to their previous school, and not the transfers, but I don’t know. We have a spot for one or two.”

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