Rodney Gallagher III Playing Some Defense in Spring Ball

WVU is toying with the idea of playing its young playmaker on both sides of the football.

Playing two ways in high school football is very common due to the numbers most teams have. Doing it at the college level though? That’s rare.

Travis Hunter at Colorado and years ago, Myles Jack at UCLA, are the two that come to mind as players who were able to do it successfully at a high level. Hunter is considered one of the nation’s best receivers while also being regarded as one of the top corners. Many scouts at the next level believe he could be a first round pick at either position. Jack, on the other hand, was always viewed as more of a linebacker and his reps at running back dwindled over his three years at UCLA. 

This season, we could see a West Virginia Mountaineer take on the challenging task of playing both sides. On Wednesday, head coach Neal Brown revealed that sophomore wide receiver Rodney Gallagher III has been getting a look on defense.

“We’ve been messing around a little bit playing Rodney as a nickel on defense because he’s got really good lateral quickness. He played defense in high school and it will give us some flexibility there and he’s done pretty well.”

Is this just something they’re doing for numbers sake during spring ball? Or is it an idea the coaching staff is seriously considering?

“I think to be determined,” Brown stated. “I remember going through the recruiting process and I’d give him a hard time because he played corner in high school and he never showed up in the picture. He was never getting tackles or anything. But what you could see is he could play man coverage and he didn’t spend any time on it. He was a raw football player in general and he spent most of his practice time at quarterback.”

But don’t worry, this isn’t something that is going to distract or take away from Gallagher’s development at wide receiver. Neal is talking 6-8 snaps, at most, for Gallagher on the defensive side of the ball. Think obvious pass situations where Jordan Lesley would like to sub out a linebacker to get another defensive back on the field.

“He’s an offensive player. He’s pushing to be a starter at receiver and he’s a guy that we want to get him the ball. He had a great scrimmage on Friday, like really a great scrimmage. We’re excited about his growth at receiver, but he’s also a guy that if he stays could potentially give us snaps at nickel.”