Andrew Jackson Talks Start of Spring Ball, Portal Needs, Bigger Roles + More

WVU defensive line coach Andrew Jackson spoke with the media on Thursday.

Start of spring ball/losing talent from last year

"It's going well. It's exciting because you kind of have to see where you're at again. But I do have a guy that won a starting job last year, so I have a little bit of a guy to lean on with Sean [Martin]. Eddue [Vesterinen] has been a worker all the time, so now it's good for him to have a solidified role and be a leader. And then it's good to push Mike Lockhart and Hammond Russell to have a spot. And DayDay Hawkins has been a nice bright spot in energy."

What DayDay Hawkins brings

"Energy. He's shown that he's going to be relentless and play through the whistle. He's got a toughness about him and an attitude about him that I really like."

Sean Martin's biggest area of growth

"Sean's biggest growth is his consistency. He's not going to be a guy that says a whole lot but he's taken a major step from beating a guy out and earning a role to now being a guy that's going to be a guy we can rely on to make plays every series. I expect Sean to take off, be an all-conference player. I expect him to close off one side of the field. I'm not necessarily going to put pressure on him to be one of the next Stills brothers coming up but I think he should be a playmaker for us."

Portal needs

"I think we still need more help at the [defensive] end position. We need some guys there and then again, we take the best available guy up front that can help us out."

Asani Redwood

"I think he's going to have Dante Stills-type versatility where he can play three or four spots. Not only because his size and ability but he's got a real football mind as well."

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