WVU OL Brandon Yates Getting Some Reps at a New Position
Spring ball is a good time for coaches and players to come together and try some different things and see if it's something that can work throughout the fall during the season.
That's exactly what the WVU coaching staff is doing right now with offensive lineman, Brandon Yates, working him some at center behind Zach Frazier.
"He's growing. He's done well. He's got some natural ability there," said head coach Neal Brown. "Now, snaps are a little off some just because he hasn't done it. But he's a more natural inside player. He's got a great attitude about it too."
Moving around isn't completely foreign to Yates, though. He started 21 games at left tackle across his first two seasons at WVU before flipping over to right tackle last year. The main reason behind the move was to put Wyatt Milum, who is left-handed, in a more comfortable spot working from the left side.
Yates "lost" the right tackle job to Ja'Quay Hubbard but the two essentially split playing time with Yates logging 44% of the in-game reps and played well, particularly in the final month of the season versus TCU, Oklahoma, and Kansas State. That kind of versatility will earn him playing time in one way or another be it at tackle, center, or even guard. The key for offensive line coach Matt Moore is to find the best five and find the best option to back up Frazier at center, which was Jordan White's responsibility a year ago. White transferred to Liberty earlier this offseason.
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