OT: WVU Appealing to Student Body for QB Candidate
After saying such encouraging things as "It's a terrible situation that we're trying to work out. We're looking at junior colleges, prep schools, wherever we can think of.'' regarding the current Quarterback situation, WVU coach Dana Holgorsen seemed to be just jokingly pessimistic when he said "Maybe we can put an ad in the paper or you guys can say we want a quarterback that wants to play and throw the ball to show up and come see me, and if it works out we'll put you out there."
Turns out he was being serious:
From: [email protected]
The West Virginia University football program will host a workout for students interested in joining the Mountaineer football team as a walk-on. The workout will be held on August 22, 2011 at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Registration will take place from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. and the workout will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.
Participants must be a full-time student of West Virginia University and present the following documentation on August 22:
While Michigan has held open walk-on efforts in the past, they were never aimed to specifically expand a position of need. At worst they were held to find out if a more viable kicking candidate existed, not a skill position like what West Virginia is experiencing currently. What's more, a mass email was never sent to the entire student body.
I still can't decide if WVU is better or worse off than UM after RR left (no coaching change politics intended or desired).
HT: Deadspin
August 11th, 2011 at 6:37 PM ^
Eh, that quoted text is not aimed at any position in particular.
And Michigan has taken WRs and CBs from the open tryouts before, so it's not just kickers.
August 11th, 2011 at 6:46 PM ^
a certain safety currently tearing it up.
August 11th, 2011 at 6:49 PM ^
obviously kovacs. my point is i cannot remember lloyd carr giving interviews saying "we only have 3 CBs. we're call GRCC, EMU, Mott, EVERYWHERE to find SOMEONE to fill this depth chart" and then sending an email to the student body asking them to show up hoping one comes out of it. obviously starters do emerge from this process (hell, my years at UM were kicked by a certain walk-on) but to have to explicitly call upon the students to compensate for a disparity is quite surprising.
August 11th, 2011 at 6:38 PM ^
I think this is less of a crisis than you think it is for WVU. Dana Holgorsen installed the airraid offense this year at WVU, and a lot of the drills ideally want 4-5 QB's throwing to recievers due to the pass-heaviness of the system. It's not that WVU doesn't have servicable QB's (they have a solid starter and backup from what I've been reading), rather, they'd like 2-3 more to be able to be able to do drills at an ideal pace.
August 11th, 2011 at 6:47 PM ^
it's that WVU legitimately has no depth
"Holgorsen said there was no thought of moving White back to quarterback as an emergency option, but also admitted that if he can't find a third quarterback something like that might have to be considered.
For now, though, Holgorsen is looking everywhere for a late addition, joking that he was ready to send Smith and Millard to the school's rec center to scout for draftees.
They had two kids recruited at QB transfer already. Per the WV Gazette "Both quarterbacks recruited the year before, Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson, left the team after one semester."
August 11th, 2011 at 7:35 PM ^
There was a bare cupboard?
<br>
<br>*ducks*
August 11th, 2011 at 7:13 PM ^
There was something on Dr. Saturday (I think) about how the coaches had been filling in, but their arms were dead from all the throwing they had to do. They need camp arms, not someone who might appear in a game
August 11th, 2011 at 6:46 PM ^
It sucks for them, but this is awesome.
This is what an ideal world looks like IMHE - drawing from the already admitted and enrolled student body, instead of inflating the egos of high school teenagers.
August 11th, 2011 at 7:49 PM ^
All of your dreams have come true.
This is called intramural sports http://recsports.msu.edu/Intramural%20Sports/index.html.
August 11th, 2011 at 8:13 PM ^
There's a certain charm about you where even your snark is likeable.
If only I could craft my smug the way you craft your snark. . . then I might really be somebody on these boards! Which would of course improve my situation tenfold.
Lots of memories in those IM buildings, particularly IM West.
August 11th, 2011 at 8:34 PM ^
my snark is genuine; your smug is not. I would have you realize this
First principles, my greenie weenie friend (my charm is also genuine)
August 11th, 2011 at 8:56 PM ^
Are you saying that I dissemble??!!
An outrage!! Why I oughta . . .!! [meh - you're probably not far off]
I studied Descartes to understand first principles!! I shan't be abused this way!!
[ ].
[I hope this satisfies my disingenuous smug quota for the day].
August 11th, 2011 at 10:00 PM ^
though...
you think, therefore you are
but it does not follow that you think you're smug, therefore you are smug
August 11th, 2011 at 10:46 PM ^
I've always cared more for appearance than reality.
August 11th, 2011 at 6:58 PM ^
I'm assuming he's seeking depth because Geno Smith was pretty good last year.
August 11th, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^
That Mountaineer ship has sailed.
August 11th, 2011 at 7:40 PM ^
What is it, a brute force position?
August 11th, 2011 at 7:49 PM ^
It's a skill position, but everyone hates kickers so its never counted.
August 11th, 2011 at 8:22 PM ^
Taterade to WVU.
August 11th, 2011 at 9:51 PM ^
Has anyone here ever been to one of those walk-on tryouts? Just curious how the experience is.
August 13th, 2011 at 7:37 PM ^
This post is misleading and inaccurate. WVU has Geno Smith coming back who is probably the best QB in the big east and someone Feldman keeps mentioning as a dark horse heisman candidate. They might have depth issues but their not looking for a walk on starter here.