In case anyone's curious about WVU's offensive line, here's the latest info...

WV Metro News Wrote:Rebuilding The Offensive Line
Shawn Falkenstein
Morgantown
03/26/2009

Offensive line coach Dave Johnson may have the most unenviable job on West Virginia’s football staff.

In just his second season at WVU Johnson must replace four starters along a line that paved the way for 2,729 rushing yards last season and featured two all-Big East players.

Ryan Stancheck and his 48 starts are gone. Mike Dent (21 starts), Jake Figner (38 starts) and Greg Isdaner (37 starts) are also gone, leaving right guard Selvish Capers (19 starts) as the only returning starter. Eric Jobe, Donnie Barclay and Josh Jenkins are the only other offensive lineman on the roster that have seen any playing time at all. Jobe started the final five games last season in replace of the injured Mike Dent and Jenkins and Barclay saw spot time as backups.

The first challenge for Johnson is to find a leader.

“I need to develop some leadership. We don’t have that verbal kind of guy that we had in Mike Dent or Ryan Stancheck that we had a year ago,” said Johnson. “Right now they’re all like church mice because they’re afraid of making a mistake. They’ll get more confidence as we go through drills and they understand more. But, we’re very young. A lot of them are starting from ground zero.”

Johnson says he will look to Capers to step up as a leader along the line

“I hope so,” said Johnson. “Hopefully Selvish will get a little more verbal. Last year we had some guys in there that he didn’t necessarily have to be as big a leader as he does now. I’ve challenged him this spring in asking him to step up and be more verbal and lead by example. Do the little things right because so many eyes are on him to be the leader.”

Johnson is also hoping the sophomore Barclay, who by most accounts is the most talented, can step up to be a leader.

“Hopefully he can be as big an ironman as Ryan [Stancheck] was because that’s a guy you don’t want to move around or have miss games is your left tackle,” said Johnson. “Donnie’s very flexible. He can play guard or tackle. He might be a better guard than a tackle but right now he has to play tackle for us, and he’ll do a great job because he’s a fighter and it’s important to him and he takes a lot of pride in it.”

Barclay and Jenkins will both have some learning to do this spring moving from the right side of the line where they played as backups last year to the right side where they will start this spring.

The starting lineup this spring looks like this:

LT Donnie Barclay(r-So.); LG Josh Jenkins (So.); C Eric Jobe (r-Jr.); RG Matt Timmerman(r-Jr.); RT Selvish Capers (r-Sr.)

However, that could change dramatically by the end of spring practice.

“Every guy is going to have to master one position but be efficient in a couple [different positions] because you’re going to have injuries,” said Johnson who plans on putting his best five on the field regardless of the depth chart. “Say your right guard goes down. Well, you’re next best lineman may not be the backup right guard, so you may have to move somebody. It’s a mix and match type thing. You try to keep guys on the same side, but most guys will have to know two positions.”

Johnson also wants competition this spring. While those five are penciled in as starters right now, that could change by tomorrow. Redshirt sophomore Gino Gradkowski, redshirt freshman Jeff Braun and redshirt sophomore Chad Snodgrass also look to push for playing time.

Jenkins is returning from a dislocated kneecap injury that kept him out of several games last season.

“It’s not an injury that creates long term problems,” said Johnson who is confident Jenkins will not have any lingering effects from last year’s injury. “But at least he’s going from guard to guard. He’s switching to the left side which is a little tougher so that’s why I wanted him to learn that one first and try to master that position. He’s going to have to know two positions. Obviously, he’ll know a little bit about the right guard position but he may even be able to slide in at center. We’re coaching him, working on the snap because you have to have a plan in case of injuries.”

Eric Jobe will be getting most of the snaps this spring at the center position. He started five games last season, including the bowl game, after Dent went down with a neck injury.

“The experience is very, very valuable, but Eric is by no means ready to win championships right now. He’s a guy that needs to get better. He knows this. He is a guy who is fighting for a position. Right now he’s lining up at the starting center position, just because of his experience and it’s just the way it fell coming out of the fall. But in my mind there are positions up for grabs and he’s gotta fight every single day because there are some worthy people that can take that position,” said Johnson.

And that’s the way it will be along the offensive line this spring. There may be no other position on the field where the competition for playing time is as fierce as Johnson tries to find his best five players.

I'm expecting Gino Gradkowski to end up as the starting center before the season starts. Just a gut feeling...

My Pirates DLine will give you guys all you can handle. ECU has 1 large DEnd and two very large DTackles that will likely play in the NFL.

We'll find out about that soon enough, dude...

Sweet an a rebuilt line against Pitts awesome DL... Only problem we face you the last game of the year.

Didn't yinz rebuild the line last season as well.

USF will have the best D-Line they have ever had. Our O-Line should be better but is rebuilding, glad our first three games are going to allow for the newcomers to get their feet wet.

(03-27-2009 10:21 AM)animus Wrote:  Sweet an a rebuilt line against Pitts awesome DL... Only problem we face you the last game of the year.

Didn't yinz rebuild the line last season as well.

Last year it was the D-line that got rebuilt. The O-line came back intact last year. But it seemed like we had minor injuries to the offensive line all year long. Remember, we lost Josh Jenkins for the rest of the season in game 5, and starting center Mike Dent in game 6...

Yea thats right... Looking forward to see the changes in your offense next season. More I Formation isn't that bad of an idea if used right with the current offense.

UCONN will have the best OL next year in the BE that no one ever heard of. The way UCONN is sending OLs to the NFL should tell you about amount of talent on the line. If UCONN had a QB and some real WRs, the line would look even better. The Patriots had Tyler worked out as a WR and a DB LOL.

I am really curious to see what WVU would do without Pat White. I really think the kid won quite a few games all by himself. Without him, it will be interesting.

(03-27-2009 12:03 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UCONN will have the best OL next year in the BE that no one ever heard of. The way UCONN is sending OLs to the NFL should tell you about amount of talent on the line. If UCONN had a QB and some real WRs, the line would look even better. The Patriots had Tyler worked out as a WR and a DB LOL.

I am really curious to see what WVU would do without Pat White. I really think the kid won quite a few games all by himself. Without him, it will be interesting.

WVU would've been fine w/o Pat White. They was fine before Pat White and will be fine after Pat White. Thats like saying where would Florida be w/o Tebow or USC w/o Reggie Bush. Pat White was a great player no doubt but all solid programs will win whether or not 1 single player was there or not.

I'm curious to see how the offense shakes out myself. Jarrett Brown has a cannon for an arm. When he's healthy, he can throw the ball accurately a long way downfield. If the line gives him time, and the receivers hold up their end of the bargain, WVU's opponents may wish Pat White was still in Morgantown. Of course, things could work out otherwise. It's up to the coaches and players. We'll find out how it goes soon enough, I figure...

(03-27-2009 12:09 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I'm curious to see how the offense shakes out myself. Jarrett Brown has a cannon for an arm. When he's healthy, he can throw the ball accurately a long way downfield. If the line gives him time, and the receivers hold up their end of the bargain, WVU's opponents may wish Pat White was still in Morgantown. Of course, things could work out otherwise. It's up to the coaches and players. We'll find out how it goes soon enough, I figure...

You and me both. I am really looking forward to UCONN's new offense as well. One thing I do know is there will be no drop off on the RB production since UCONN is literally loaded at the RB position. UCONN D will be full of NFL prospects that no one recruited LOL.

Imagine WVU as a throwing team. It would be different, very different.

(03-27-2009 12:07 PM)animus Wrote:  

(03-27-2009 12:03 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UCONN will have the best OL next year in the BE that no one ever heard of. The way UCONN is sending OLs to the NFL should tell you about amount of talent on the line. If UCONN had a QB and some real WRs, the line would look even better. The Patriots had Tyler worked out as a WR and a DB LOL.

I am really curious to see what WVU would do without Pat White. I really think the kid won quite a few games all by himself. Without him, it will be interesting.

WVU would've been fine w/o Pat White. They was fine before Pat White and will be fine after Pat White. Thats like saying where would Florida be w/o Tebow or USC w/o Reggie Bush. Pat White was a great player no doubt but all solid programs will win whether or not 1 single player was there or not.

Agreed. Pat White might be the greatest Mountaineer though.

(03-27-2009 12:13 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  Agreed. Pat White might be the greatest Mountaineer though.

No doubt there... :ncaabbs:

(03-27-2009 12:19 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(03-27-2009 12:13 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  Agreed. Pat White might be the greatest Mountaineer though.

No doubt there... :ncaabbs:

I will miss him in college games.. NOT. 49ers could really use a new QB. I really hope they get him somehow. They had Rasheed Marshall former QB as a WR for a bit.

(03-27-2009 12:13 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  

(03-27-2009 12:07 PM)animus Wrote:  

(03-27-2009 12:03 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UCONN will have the best OL next year in the BE that no one ever heard of. The way UCONN is sending OLs to the NFL should tell you about amount of talent on the line. If UCONN had a QB and some real WRs, the line would look even better. The Patriots had Tyler worked out as a WR and a DB LOL.

I am really curious to see what WVU would do without Pat White. I really think the kid won quite a few games all by himself. Without him, it will be interesting.

WVU would've been fine w/o Pat White. They was fine before Pat White and will be fine after Pat White. Thats like saying where would Florida be w/o Tebow or USC w/o Reggie Bush. Pat White was a great player no doubt but all solid programs will win whether or not 1 single player was there or not.

Agreed. Pat White might be the greatest Mountaineer though.

Pat White and Major Harris are 1A and 1B. Famous Amos and Steve Slaton are also high on the list. This past season Pat really missed Steve Slaton and that bruising FB, can't beleive I forgot his name. If there is no Steve Slaton and FB with the mohawk i'm not sure Pat White is as big as a star as he was. Pat White also had a few capabable receivers that helped open up that spread option attack.

animus Wrote:This past season Pat really missed Steve Slaton and that bruising FB, can't beleive I forgot his name.

Schmitt happens, animus...

Also, it's spelled believe...

like you just said... Schmitt happens...