Bevy of talent at WV
4 months 6 days ago #469
by wvu4u2
Bevy of talent at WV was created by wvu4u2
MORGANTOWN — Too often we overlook what sports really is, getting caught up in the here and now and forgetting that we all are emotionally hooked on the memories of yesterday and those expectations we carry into the future.
After the present, as important as it feels at the moment, represents only those expectations we had yesterday and will become the memories we cherish as we move forward.
This was driven home on Tuesday with an announcement that Tavon Austin, probably one of the three most exciting offensive players ever to play football at West Virginia, was announcing his retirement from the NFL.
His NFL career never reached the heights he seemed so capable of reaching while at WVU, setting receiving records, rushing records and return records, a person who was small in stature but so fast, so quick, so shifty that he seemed to be an apparition to defenders who tried to tackle him.
His highlight reel would have won an Oscar had it fit a category in the Academy Awards show. It became his gift to West Virginia fans, something that should be preserved in a time capsule for all to see.
Today’s closest thing to Austin paid tribute to him and what he represented after seeing the social media post of his retirement, that being running back, Jahiem White, who met yesterday’s expectations as a freshman and now is in the process of starring in his own highlight reel for the future, this year making his reverence for Austin clear as he shed his No. 22 uniform in favor on Austin’s No. 1 to honor him.
“Congrats on your retirement Tayaustin01,” he posted. “You will forever be the GOAT. Blessed and humbled to wear #1.”
And so, once again, the torch is passed in West Virginia football. While Austin’s greatest moment as a Mountaineer came when Dana Holgorsen took him out of his receiver’s position and put him at running back against Oklahoma and he responded with the greatest game any Mountaineers running back ever had with 344 rushing yards and 572 all-purpose (rushing, receiving, returning) yards.
But Austin was a receiver in WVU’s Air Raid offense under Holgorsen, along with the record-shattering Stedman Bailey on the receiving end of passes from Geno Smith. That kind of receiving — they stand 1-2 in carer receiving yards, Bailey with 3,413 and Austin with 3,218 — records that almost certainly never will be challenged.
That, however, does not mean there is not a lot of passing yards caught in the expectations for this year’s team. If there is no Austin or Bailey, there are higher hopes than at any time in the Neal Brown era to have a deep, exciting receiving corps. It may not offer up a menu of potential All-Americans but it is one that has quarterback Garrett Greene eagerly awaiting unleashing it against Penn State in the Aug. 31 opener.
“I like our receiver group,” Brown said. “I think all of those guys that were here with us last year and played a lot of football have made a definitive step.”
This includes Hudson Clement, who rose out of the walk-on ranks to become a budding star last year; Preston Fox, a veteran who has worked on his strength to go with his ability to make acrobatic catches, youngsters Traylon Ray and Rodney Gallagher III move forward as part of what Brown terms “a natural progression.”
At the end of last season the receiving group lacked big, physical targets but went into the transfer portal to bring in junior Jaden Bray from Oklahoma State and senior Justin Robinson from Mississippi State.
“They just have to learn what to do and how we play and what our expectations are,” Brown said. “They are going to play a role.”
As will a freshman named Ric’Darious Farmer, better known by his nickname of “DayDay.”
“He’s got twitch, he’s got explosiveness. He’s made several competitive plays,” Brown said. “Excited about him. He’s going to earn some playing time if he continues.”
In charge of taking the group forward and shaping DayDay Farmer into a player is wide receiver coach Bilal Marshall, who offers up rave reviews of Famer.
“You’ve all seen his tape,” he said. “He’s very electric. He can stop on a dime and leave you two nickels. When he gets the ball in his hands, hold your breath. He’s going to make the first person miss.”
He’s not ready to go yet.
“He needs to become a cleaner route runner,” Marshall said. “Sometimes he wants to make so many moves that he trips himself up sometimes. I’m not going to take away from his creativity because 99% of the people who walk through the doors here don’t have the creativity he has. He just has to know when to and when not to.”
Like Brown, Marshall is really impressed with the strides his returning receivers have made over the off-season.
Take Preston Fox.
“P. Fox is playing at a really high level right now,” Marshall said. “Coach [Chad] Scott has a saying right now, ‘When in doubt, find the Fox.’ That’s the way he’s been playing. He’s so reliable.”
And when someone suggested to Marshall that Hudson Clement had reached star level, he replied:
“Easy on the star. He ain’t there yet and he knows that. I told him that. The thing about him is he works like he’s still a walk-on and he’s humble. It hasn’t gotten into his head where he’s thinking ‘I’ve arrived.”
But as a group, there is so much depth and unity in the receiving corps.
“This is the tightest wide receiver room since I’ve been here,” Marshall said. “It’s not just the top four guys. It’s all 15.”
And so it is, yesterday, tomorrow and today.
Follow @bhertzel on X
After the present, as important as it feels at the moment, represents only those expectations we had yesterday and will become the memories we cherish as we move forward.
This was driven home on Tuesday with an announcement that Tavon Austin, probably one of the three most exciting offensive players ever to play football at West Virginia, was announcing his retirement from the NFL.
His NFL career never reached the heights he seemed so capable of reaching while at WVU, setting receiving records, rushing records and return records, a person who was small in stature but so fast, so quick, so shifty that he seemed to be an apparition to defenders who tried to tackle him.
His highlight reel would have won an Oscar had it fit a category in the Academy Awards show. It became his gift to West Virginia fans, something that should be preserved in a time capsule for all to see.
Today’s closest thing to Austin paid tribute to him and what he represented after seeing the social media post of his retirement, that being running back, Jahiem White, who met yesterday’s expectations as a freshman and now is in the process of starring in his own highlight reel for the future, this year making his reverence for Austin clear as he shed his No. 22 uniform in favor on Austin’s No. 1 to honor him.
“Congrats on your retirement Tayaustin01,” he posted. “You will forever be the GOAT. Blessed and humbled to wear #1.”
And so, once again, the torch is passed in West Virginia football. While Austin’s greatest moment as a Mountaineer came when Dana Holgorsen took him out of his receiver’s position and put him at running back against Oklahoma and he responded with the greatest game any Mountaineers running back ever had with 344 rushing yards and 572 all-purpose (rushing, receiving, returning) yards.
But Austin was a receiver in WVU’s Air Raid offense under Holgorsen, along with the record-shattering Stedman Bailey on the receiving end of passes from Geno Smith. That kind of receiving — they stand 1-2 in carer receiving yards, Bailey with 3,413 and Austin with 3,218 — records that almost certainly never will be challenged.
That, however, does not mean there is not a lot of passing yards caught in the expectations for this year’s team. If there is no Austin or Bailey, there are higher hopes than at any time in the Neal Brown era to have a deep, exciting receiving corps. It may not offer up a menu of potential All-Americans but it is one that has quarterback Garrett Greene eagerly awaiting unleashing it against Penn State in the Aug. 31 opener.
“I like our receiver group,” Brown said. “I think all of those guys that were here with us last year and played a lot of football have made a definitive step.”
This includes Hudson Clement, who rose out of the walk-on ranks to become a budding star last year; Preston Fox, a veteran who has worked on his strength to go with his ability to make acrobatic catches, youngsters Traylon Ray and Rodney Gallagher III move forward as part of what Brown terms “a natural progression.”
At the end of last season the receiving group lacked big, physical targets but went into the transfer portal to bring in junior Jaden Bray from Oklahoma State and senior Justin Robinson from Mississippi State.
“They just have to learn what to do and how we play and what our expectations are,” Brown said. “They are going to play a role.”
As will a freshman named Ric’Darious Farmer, better known by his nickname of “DayDay.”
“He’s got twitch, he’s got explosiveness. He’s made several competitive plays,” Brown said. “Excited about him. He’s going to earn some playing time if he continues.”
In charge of taking the group forward and shaping DayDay Farmer into a player is wide receiver coach Bilal Marshall, who offers up rave reviews of Famer.
“You’ve all seen his tape,” he said. “He’s very electric. He can stop on a dime and leave you two nickels. When he gets the ball in his hands, hold your breath. He’s going to make the first person miss.”
He’s not ready to go yet.
“He needs to become a cleaner route runner,” Marshall said. “Sometimes he wants to make so many moves that he trips himself up sometimes. I’m not going to take away from his creativity because 99% of the people who walk through the doors here don’t have the creativity he has. He just has to know when to and when not to.”
Like Brown, Marshall is really impressed with the strides his returning receivers have made over the off-season.
Take Preston Fox.
“P. Fox is playing at a really high level right now,” Marshall said. “Coach [Chad] Scott has a saying right now, ‘When in doubt, find the Fox.’ That’s the way he’s been playing. He’s so reliable.”
And when someone suggested to Marshall that Hudson Clement had reached star level, he replied:
“Easy on the star. He ain’t there yet and he knows that. I told him that. The thing about him is he works like he’s still a walk-on and he’s humble. It hasn’t gotten into his head where he’s thinking ‘I’ve arrived.”
But as a group, there is so much depth and unity in the receiving corps.
“This is the tightest wide receiver room since I’ve been here,” Marshall said. “It’s not just the top four guys. It’s all 15.”
And so it is, yesterday, tomorrow and today.
Follow @bhertzel on X
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