WVU OL Nick Krahe Admits Position Change Has Been 'Challenging'

Going from tackle to guard is not easy. Nick Krahe explains his transition.

WVU Athletics Communications

After a strong first season as a full-time starter, West Virginia's Nick Krahe moved from left tackle to left guard following a little time with new offensive line coach Rick Trickett back in the spring.

The 78-year-old has been doing this for a long time now, and as a matter of fact, he will be entering his 50th year in coaching this fall. The best way to put it is he knows what the hell he is doing, so no one should question Trickett's decision to move Krahe, or anyone else for that matter.

Krahe talked about the position change on Monday and how the transition is going.

“I think it’s been good. It’s been a little more challenging because I think once you move inside, everything kind of happens at a faster rate compared to tackle. But I know Coach Trickett is definitely helping me make the change over there, and I’m excited about it."

“I would say moving from tackle to guard is harder than left to right because obviously you know the offense, you know the position that you’re playing, but when you’re going from one position to another, it’s a different thing," he continued. "You’re going to do different things on different plays. But I think it’s helped because now I know what the tackle is doing every play, and now I know what the guard’s doing every play. It helps me put together what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

The other challenge is what Coach Trickett demands out of his players. He and Rich Rod are cut from the same cloth. They have a standard, and they're not going to let anyone fall below that, even for one rep.

“I would say I haven’t had another coach that’s been as vocally demanding as him, but it’s making us all better players on the field. We have to do what he says, and it’s going to put us in the right spot, and it’s going to help us make the blocks that we need to make.”

Aside from defensive linemen getting on you quicker, the other piece that takes some time adjusting to is that you're working more with someone (the center) than you are out on an island at tackle. A certain level of communication and chemistry have to exist between the guard and center to be able to win in the trenches consistently. That's something that he is working on as we speak with center Wes King and true freshman Kevin Brown, who is in line to start at left tackle.

“Going through hard things together makes everyone closer," Krahe said. "And that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re all going through fall camp. We’re all doing the same things, going to the same meetings, same practices, everything together. So just building that camaraderie between the three of us is good, but it’s also between all five of us up front.”