Neal Brown Gives Explanation for DE Sean Martin's Absence vs EKU
If you watched closely to the Mountaineers' game this past Saturday, you might have noticed that true freshman defensive end Sean Martin did not make an appearance.
Martin, a Bluefield, WV native, is one of the true freshmen that head coach Neal Brown and his staff have been very high on since the beginning fall camp. Unfortunately, he was forced to sit out the season opener after being identified in COVID-19 contact tracing.
"We've got two guys right now that are true freshmen for us that are walk-on players that are out right now. They are the only positive COVID cases we have in our program. Sean [Martin] missed the game due to contact tracing. He's well, he's fine," Brown said. "He's a guy that we wanted to play, but he was out. He really had his best week of practice last week until he was out, and he was a guy that was definitely going to play."
Given that West Virginia has a bye week this week, it should allow Martin enough time to clear the COVID protocols and be able to make his collegiate debut in Stillwater next week vs. Oklahoma State. Neal Brown believes that he has an extraordinarily high ceiling and will play a lot of football over the next three-five years.
"Sean's a guy that we're really excited about. I like his makeup, how he's worked since he's been here on campus. He's going to be a real bright spot for us."
Due to HIPAA rules, the identity of the two athletes who have tested positive for COVID-19 must remain private.
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