Allegheny Highlands Today

 A busy week is on tap for Neal Brown's Mountaineer football program. This afternoon, personnel from 29 NFL teams are in Morgantown for West Virginia's annual Pro Day taking place inside the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility.
 
Among former WVU players taking part today are defensive tackle Dante Stills and wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who impressed during last month's NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
 
Pro personnel will also get an opportunity to take a closer look at wide receiver Sam James, safety Jasir Cox, linebacker Exree Loe, tight end Brian Polendey, cornerbacks Rashad Ajayi and Wesley McCormick and kicker Parker Grothaus.
 
"This is a big day for several of our former players," Brown said. "I'm excited to watch them and there are some good stories here. Bryce, Sam, Exree and Dante, I've been with them for four years, and I'm proud of what Bryce and Dante did in Indianapolis. They represented themselves and our program really, really well. 
 
"Now, the other guys get their opportunity today," he added.
 
Brown's current players will return to the practice field on Tuesday and have practices scheduled for Thursday and Friday before scrimmaging on Saturday.
 
Friday's practice will be in conjunction with West Virginia's annual coaches' clinic.
 
"We're through three spring practices, really three install days," Brown said Monday morning. "It's been a lot of individual and a lot of group work. It's probably too early to give you much good on personnel; I'll do that later on.
 
"The first six practices are for individual and group install, then seven through 15 is a lot of team work," he said. "We're going to play a lot of 11-on-11 football because we need some experience doing that."
 
Brown said last Saturday's practice inside the stadium was dominated by the defense.
 
"The offense had nice days on Tuesday and Thursday, and then on Saturday, I wasn't very pleased with them," he said. "We just didn't have the same sense of urgency, and we've got to be able to handle some success. Tuesday and Thursday were clean from an alignment/assignment perspective, but (we) also practiced with urgency and really good effort. 
 
"Saturday, we put the ball on the ground and didn't have the same urgency. Defensively, I thought Saturday was by far our best day. They were more confident, and it works out that way because we had pads on. You add the physicality aspect you didn't have on Tuesday-Thursday and for our first day in pads, our guys did a really nice job running to the ball and thudding. It's harder to thud than it is to tackle, and I thought our guys got into really good position and put the hat on the ball and got the ball out."
 
Brown said the schedule this week calls for practices on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
 
"Tuesday-Thursday will be the same type of practices we've had, then we're going to practice on Friday, and this is the only time we'll go back-to-back during spring," he stated. "Our annual coaches' clinic is on Friday and so we'll do kind of a fundamental practice designed to help the high school and youth coaches that are going to be here. Saturday, we will be in the stadium and that will be more of a scrimmage type of practice playing 11-on-11."
 
Meanwhile, Brown announced the hiring of former Mountaineer standout Rasheed Marshall as the team's director of player relations. In this role, Marshall will be a liaison between the players and the staff and assist in their off-field development through the Fifth Quarter Program.
 
Marshall was the Big East Player of the Year in 2004.
 
"A great player here, obviously, and I got to know him over the last four years," Brown said. "He's been involved in different aspects of our Fifth Quarter Program, been around our guys and done some media things as well, so when the job opened up and he expressed interest, I was excited to bring him in house. 
 
"He's done really well professionally. He's from Pittsburgh, and he's got a great story, and he wanted to be a part of the program. He loves West Virginia and is really passionate about developing young people," Brown said.
 
Osman Kamara, now the director of player development at Oregon, previously held that position.
 
Briefly:
 
* Neal Brown continues to praise the play of NC State transfer Devin Carter, who made several catches downfield during last Saturday's practice. He's not a burner, but his size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) gives WVU a big target in the passing game. 
 
"We brought Devin in because we felt like he could be a front-line guy and be a one, and through three practices, that's only been the truth so far," Brown said. "He's made some big-time plays."
 
Brown said Carter's offseason approach was good and he was one of the top work-ethic guys during winter workouts.
 
"He's been humble in his approach, but he's really helped that group," Brown said. "We're one week into a five-week spring program, but he's made a lot of plays and a lot of contested catches."
 
The coach also recognized Sean Martin's play at defensive tackle. "He's gotten stronger with more push," Brown said. 
 
Two other players Brown singled out on the defensive side of the ball were middle linebacker Lee Kpogba and safety Aubrey Burks.
 
* CJ Donaldson is a player who is getting more spring work than was originally anticipated coming off late-season surgery.
 
"He wants to play, and he needs (the work)," Brown explained. "He doesn't have a whole lot of experience. He had some flashes last year, and we've got to get him where he can play and be durable. He needs reps at running back and how much live tackling we do with him is to be determined, but he's practiced and practiced the whole time all three days."
 
Donaldson and Jaylen Anderson are two running backs with pass receiving in their background. Donaldson came here as a wide receiver/tight end type who transitioned to running back, while Anderson played in a high school system that had him lined up at slot receiver in certain situations.
 
"You go back and look at Jaylen's high school tape and they used him a lot at receiver, spread out in empty formations," Brown said. "Tony (Mathis Jr.) and Justin (Johnson Jr.) have been here long enough to where they've done those things, but it's really natural for CJ and Jaylen because they've done it for a long time."
 
* At this point in the spring, the best and most experienced pieces for West Virginia are offensive line and running back, and Brown indicated that they must build the offense around those strengths.
 
* West Virginia continues to work Brandon Yates at center to reduce some of Zach Frazier's workload this spring.
 
"He's got some natural ability there," Brown said. "Now, snaps are a little off some, just because he hasn't done it, but he's a more natural inside player. He's got a great attitude about it, too."
 
* Brown said he is comfortable with the defensive line size, noting a pair of noses weighing 300-pounds-plus, but he is concerned about overall depth there. 
 
"We need to add at least one more body, maybe two there," he said.
 
* Brown had a great line about LSU tight end Kole Taylor, whose outstanding size allows him to "get open by birth," according to the coach.
 
He is hopeful Taylor can help the running back with his ability to stretch the field in the vertical passing game.
 
"He's got a basketball background and he's long. He's 6-foot-6 plus," Brown said. "He's got a distinct (size) advantage of the players he's facing. A lot of times it's 4 or 5 inches, which is why we brought him here."
 
* Blaine Stewart and Bilal Marshall are two young assistant coaches who provide a jolt of energy on the field.
 
"They really relate well with the players," Brown noted. "Both of them are going to be elite recruiters in time. It's going to take them a little bit of time to get used to it, but both have the characteristics to recruit. And they're both good teachers. It's no different than in any profession. Who you come up under you kind of follow what their direction was, and they've been under some really good people." 

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