Underclassmen Flashed Signs of a 'Bright Future' During Bye Week Scrimmages

WVU's young bucks put their talent on display last week.

The bye week, or the open week as coaches like to call it, is a good time to get healthy, take a couple of days to mentally recharge, and fine-tune some things before getting back to game action. 

It's also a great opportunity for younger players who are either redshirting or on the cusp of earning some playing time to show they are making progress in their development.

In the off week, the team held some scrimmage periods where they let the young guys loose and WVU head coach Neal Brown came away pleasantly surprised with what he observed from his developmental group.

"(Defensive linemen) Asani Redwood and Hammond Russell have both played, but I think their future is really bright. I thought those two guys really took advantage of those reps and kind of excited about their growth. (Running Back) DJ Oliver had a nice three days. Really showed some signs on special teams. I think he'll even be able to help us this year on some special teams. (Offensive lineman) Johnny Williams continues to grow and mature. I forget sometimes because he was here in the spring that this is his true freshman year. I think he's got all the makings to be a really good one. (Defensive Lineman) Corey McIntyre is another one that as he continues to change his body, he's made a bunch of plays in our scrimmages. I thought (Defensive backs) Jordan and Josiah Jackson had nice open weeks. [Linebacker James Heard] is gaining some weight. He made a really nice play in the scrimmage on Wednesday. (Offensive Lineman) Bryce Biggs is a kid that walked on here and he's gotten steadily better. Didn't have his best day on Wednesday but I thought he bounced back over the weekend and did a nice job. (Center) Landen Livingston is much improved. And then some of our young tight ends are showing some signs. T.J. Johnson, Noah Braham, those guys are doing some good things."

Because of depth issues in the secondary, the Jackson brothers could end up seeing some limited action down the stretch. Oliver may get worked in some at running back, but as Brown mentioned, he'll get some looks on special teams and likely remain under the four-game threshold to retain his redshirt. The defensive line is already nine deep at the moment, so McIntyre won't likely factor into the mix this season, and the same could be said about James Heard Jr., who may be the Mountaineers' most natural pass rusher. And at tight end, Johnson and Braham are redshirt guys, barring injuries to either Kole Taylor or Treylan Davis. 

Although many of the guys Neal noted won't contribute in a big way this season, it is a nice peek behind the curtain of what WVU has in its future.

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