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Dominion Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Dominion Post
WVU opens camp needing answers at quarterback, defense
MORGANTOWN — The West Virginia football season is almost here. On July 30, WVU starts its first day of training camp, preparing for the 2025 season opener on Aug. 30 against Robert Morris. The practice field will have pads clashing, whistles blown, water bottles squeezed, and Rich Rodriguez yelling, 'spot the ball.' WVU football will be back, with shades of the early 2000s, because Rodriguez is back at the helm. Training camp isn't a time to reminisce about the old times because there's a lot of work and questions, with so much unknown this season. There are 70-plus transfers and a whole new coaching staff. Finally, Rodriguez knows who's on his roster, despite still putting names to faces. Training camp is the time to answer some of the questions before the first game. There are a lot, but here are some of the biggest questions before training camp starts. The biggest question on every fan's mind, and even Rodriguez's, is who will be the signal caller when the first offensive snap goes off for WVU. Rodriguez didn't name a starter all through spring camp and didn't name one during his couple of interviews at Big 12 Media Day in July. No one knows. Some fans even wanted BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff to join the room. There's no clear favorite, either, at least according to Rodriguez. He has to pick between WVU returner Nicco Marchiol, Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson, or Charlotte transfer Max Brown. All three have taken snaps at the Division I level at some point. Rodriguez even said he's like what he saw from the younger guys. Marchiol is the most well-known by WVU fans. He's been a Mountaineer since 2022 and started in two games last season, going 2-0. If Neal Brown were still around, and now that Garrett Greene is gone, it wouldn't have been a question. Marchiol would be the starter. With a whole new staff at WVU, Marchiol isn't entitled to anything, and Rodriguez was unsure about Marchiol, adding two quarterbacks out of the portal. Based on the Gold-Blue Spring Showcase, Marchiol looked solid, but a lot can change since the start of April. Seems like outsiders project Henderson to be WVU's starter for 2025. DraftKings listed Henderson as WVU's representative for the Big 12 passing leader prop, and he's the starter in EA's College Football 26. Henderson is the most experienced quarterback in the room, but that doesn't mean he's the best. He's jumped from Fresno State to Texas A&M and didn't see much success at either school. He played the most with the Aggies, but that was in 2023, and he didn't see a snap under Mike Elko in 2024. In 2023, Henderson started the final four games of the season and went 2-2. Elko didn't think Henderson was the future from his performance, and Henderson transferred, hoping to get the starting role once again. Brown is a bit of a longshot to start, but there's still a possibility. He's appeared in 10 games over the past two seasons at Charlotte and Florida. He never got a starting shot, though. Brown was an effective runner in the Gold-Blue game. Rodriguez has options. There's no clear starter, while fans and experts might have their favorites. By the end of fall camp, Rodriguez will name a starter if one clearly emerges. He didn't rule out running a dual quarterback system if neither stands out. WVU's defense as a whole wasn't good. The Mountaineers allowed 31.9 points per game last year, which was third-to-last in the conference. Rodriguez reunited with Zac Alley to hopefully turn the defense around. The biggest part of Alley's defense is his utilization of his linebackers and secondary. The linebacker room has familiar faces, like Reid Carrico, but the secondary lost members to the NFL and the transfer portal. It'll look pretty new in 2025, with every spot up for grabs. Rodriguez and Alley used the portal to fill gaps in the secondary. Rodriguez added several players, and a couple will probably start in 2025. Nevada's Michael Coats Jr. could start at corner, and Jacksonville State transfer Fred Perry and Chattanooga transfer Jordan Walker could start at safety. There are a couple of other transfers that could start in the secondary, too. After the starters become clear, then there's adapting to Alley's scheme. It's more aggressive than others and had success in 2024, ranking 7th in the high-powered SEC. Alley's secondary is physical, so players will have to adjust. There's a lot on the plate for WVU's secondary in preseason, with not one starting spot solidified. The media didn't speak to a lot of players this spring or at Big 12 Media Days, but the ones that spoke said they wanted to use the summer to get into 'tempo shape.' Tempo shape is being conditioned enough to run Rodriguez's fast-paced offense, where once the ball is spotted, his offense is ready to run the next play. Most of the summer workouts revolved around tempo, with short rest and a lot of running. During the summer, the players said they were still working on their conditioning. Tempo is a big part of Rodriguez's scheme, so it'll be important to see if his team can run it come fall. And it's not just the offense that'll need to be in tempo shape either. Since Rodriguez's offense runs tempo, the defense has to be in tempo shape to stop it. A lot of other offenses run tempo, too, so getting into shape will be important. The question is whether the team can be in shape before the first game to run Rodriguez's scheme efficiently and effectively. If not, it could be a long season.
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Deion Sanders worried he ‘might not be here' during scary health battle
Deion Sanders' recent health issues were seemingly bad enough that he reached the point of making sure his affairs were in order. In a video posted to his Instagram account Sunday night that was dated May 9 of this year at 6:18 a.m., the Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach revealed that he prepared a last will and testament. 'I don't know if I'm ready mentally, emotionally,' Sanders said in the video. 'Last night was tough, yesterday was tough because I had to make a will. That's not easy at all, to think that you might not be here.' Advertisement The clip was from a longer video Sanders' son, Deion Jr., posted on the Well Off Media YouTube channel. Deion Jr. said his dad wanted him to document the health journey. Advertisement Sanders, 57, is set to hold a press conference on Monday at 1 p.m. ET with his medical team to discuss his health issues, the details of which have been kept quiet. Deion Sanders revealing he wrote a will during his health battle on May 9, 2025. YouTube/Well Off Media It does appear, however, that Sanders is on the mend. 'Back and Feeling Great!' he wrote on X Friday morning. Advertisement Sanders attended Big 12 Media Day in Frisco, Texas on July 9. The former NFL cornerback missed a chunk of Colorado's offseason work due to the health issue, along with a contract-stipulated summer camp in Boulder. Deion Sanders during Big 12 Media Day in Frisco, Texas on July 9, 2025. Getty Images Advertisement During an appearance on fellow former cornerback Asante Samuel's podcast in May, Sanders said, 'what I'm dealing with right now is at a whole other level.' In recent years, Sanders has had multiple legs surgeries due to blood clots, one of which in 2021 resulted in the amputation of two toes on his left foot. He then had several blood clots removed in 2023.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arizona State defensive lineman Clayton Smith discusses team's mindset at Big 12 media day
Arizona State football defensive lineman Clayton Smith explains what his team's mindset is at Big 12 Media Day.
Dominion Post
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Defensive line Edward Vesterinen calls WVU home and didn't want to leave, boosting room of fresh faces
MORGANTOWN — Once Rich Rodriguez was announced as the new head coach of West Virginia, players on Neal Brown's 2024 roster had a decision to make. Leave in the portal and start over, or take a chance on Rodriguez with a lot of unknowns to follow. Defensive tackle Edward Vesterinen was one of the many players forced to make the difficult decision. However, for him, it wasn't too hard. 'After the season ended, I was uncertain on what was going to happen,' Vesterinen said at Big 12 Media Day. 'What am I going to do? I gave it a chance. I stayed for the spring, and I was happy with the spring, so I decided to stay.' The spring wasn't the only factor leading to Vesterinen staying. Vesterinen also enjoys the small town and nature. He mentioned how he enjoys Monongahela River, Cheat Lake and Cooper's Rock. Vesterinen is from Helsinki, Finland, which is over 4,000 miles from West Virginia. There's not much recruiting of football from Finland, so the only Power Four offer Vesterinen received was from WVU back in 2020. His other offer was from UMass. 'I wasn't heavily recruited coming up from high school in Finland,' Vesterinen said. 'West Virginia was my only Power Four offer, so I took it. It ended up being the best decision of my life.' Now, Vesterinen becomes one of the only starters on WVU's defensive line to return for the 2025 season. Defensive coordinator Zac Alley's focus for the defensive line is to create more sacks and tackles for loss, which was a weakness under Brown. Vesterinen leads Alley's attack, and when Vesterinen heard Alley was chosen as defensive coordinator, it gave Vesterinen even more reason to stay. 'He's definitely a mastermind on the defense,' Vesterinen said. 'When I was talking to Rich Rod in January, and he was telling me that we were getting a SEC defensive coordinator, that kind of got my hopes up. I was getting really excited. Once we landed Zac Alley, and now we've been through spring ball, and I see how he runs his defense. I'm really excited.' To help Alley's goal of generating more sacks, Rodriguez and the DC went to work in the transfer portal. In the fall, Rodriguez made a splash and landed UTSA pass rusher Jimmori Robinson. Robinson had 10.5 sacks in 2025, which was eighth in all of college football. Most of the players ahead of him are now in the NFL. In the spring, Rodriguez added more depth to the defensive line with Missouri's Eddie Kelly Jr. and Incarnate Word veteran Devin Grant. Vesterinen said it's taking some time learning all the new additions to the D-line room. 'There are so many guys that there aren't really many clicks, like, friend groups anymore,' Vesterinen said. 'Everybody's new and everybody has to make friends. That many new people creates an atmosphere of getting to know each other better.' Despite it only being a couple of weeks since the new transfers, who were added in April, Vesterinen was able to list pretty much every player in his room. Defensive line coach William Green spends the most time with the line and is witnessing the gelling of the new group. Green has his work cut out for him. There are high expectations for the defensive line, especially with the addition of highly anticipated Robinson, set to make an immediate impact. Just two months before the season, it sounds like the defensive line group is in good shape, especially with WVU veteran Vesterinen back for 2025. 'I'm really happy for the D-line group,' Vesterinen said. 'Especially the new defensive line coach, William Green. I would call him a technician. He's a very developmental coach, who I'm very happy to have.'
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
'Not a care in the world': Deion Sanders sparks buzz after refusing to explain summer health mystery in Frisco
'Not a care in the world': Deion Sanders sparks buzz after refusing to explain summer health mystery in Frisco (Image Via X) On July 9, 2025, at Big 12 Media Day in Frisco, Texas, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders stepped in front of a room full of reporters. Dressed sharp and smiling, he seemed ready to talk football. But when the topic of his health came up after weeks of absence from the public eye, he stayed silent. His choice not to answer left many wondering. Why the silence? What really happened this summer? The questions grew louder, but Coach Prime kept the focus on his team. Here's what we know so far. Why Deion Sanders declined health questions and focuses on team At roughly 4:38 PM, Deion Sanders took the podium at The Star, the NFL Dallas Cowboys' building near Frisco, Texas during Big 12 football media days. Reporters pressed him about his health after he missed spring and summer camps, and his planned June keynote in Florida was also canceled. He was firm : 'I'm not here to talk about my health, I'm here to talk about my team,' he said. Then he shared this: 'I'm looking good. I'm living lovely. God has truly blessed me. Not a care in the world. Not a want or desire in the world'. Though he gave no details, Deion Sanders said he's feeling well and is back to work. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giá vàng đang tăng mạnh trong năm 2025 — Các nhà giao dịch thông minh đã tham gia IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Reports on health absence and support from peers In June, sources including ESPN and Reuters reported Sanders was at his Texas ranch for an 'unspecified health issue' . His son, Deion Sanders Jr., told fans in a YouTube livestream that his father was 'feeling well' but could not say when he'd return to Sanders has had health issues before,he had two toes removed in 2021 and missed 2023 Pac‑12 media day due to blood clot problems. Also Read: Cowboys Star KaVontae Turpin Under Fire After Police Find Weapon In Car During 97 MPH Traffic Stop In Texas During media day, Deion Sanders thanked Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and fellow coaches for their daily calls to check on him. He said, 'I love them, they've been calling and checking on me, making sure I'm straight'. He also addressed football matters, his coaching staff, quarterbacks, and team changes for the upcoming season. But when asked again about his health, he shut it down: he's here for football, not medical updates. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
