Good Monday morning, Mountaineer fans! It's time to crack open this week's West Virginia On SI mailbag.
From @Team_WV1:
Q: Which HS recruits plan to be on campus in January?
A: I don't have a list just yet. I usually wait until the end of the season, right before signing day, before trying to nail all of that down because some recruits may flip or their circumstances change. Like last year's class, though, it seems like a good chunk of them should enroll early.
From @Engelhard2:
Q: It seems like the secondary play is the major problem. Just a lot of cushion. What do you think?
A: Yeah, there's not a lot of good play happening at corner. Chams Diagne has underwhelmed, Nick Taylor has been good but banged up, Jason Chambers has looked rusty, and beyond that, you just don't have much trust established in anyone. At safety, it seems like eye discipline is their biggest issue, and that's for all three safety positions and for every player who plays.
From @willgriertruth:
Q: With Will Grier entering the coaching ranks this year in the NFL, do you think there’s a chance he ever joins the staff at WVU?
A: Never say never, and I don't want to speak for Will, but I think he would probably like to stay in the NFL rather than coach collegiately. If he did and joined the staff at WVU, I wouldn't expect it to happen while Rich Rodriguez is still coaching, mainly because there's no connection, and not that he can't have a different offensive philosophy as a coach, but having been in an Air Raid system and the NFL, this offense probably doesn't fit what he's looking to learn under.
From @MrEd315:
Q: In your opinion, which of the remaining games present the biggest challenges to WVU football?
A: I think they all present a challenge in their own unique way. Utah is probably the toughest one left on the docket because they have a top-10 offense and the 27th-ranked defense in the country. Plus, you'll be playing them on Black Friday, under the lights, and they are on track to be playing for something pretty big.
From @kwc92290:
Q: If Mike Hawkins continues the way he’s been playing, how hard will it be for WVU to retain him?
A: It's difficult to truly know because a lot of these deals aren't public, which makes it hard to know the market. Any figures that you see being thrown around out there are just made up by people who don't have any idea and are just looking for engagement. I can tell you this: Hawkins is not making the decision based on who can pay the most. As long as WVU can pay him what he is worth, he will stay put. And from everything I gather, WVU seems confident they will be able to make that happen.
From @JordanWVU07:
Q: Gave up a lot of yards, but turnovers were absolutely huge. Seems like a lot of younger guys are playing. What does the recruiting class look like for defense next season? What young guys are we looking at to take a big leap next year?
A: Way too early to tell who could play early in their careers, but the defensive commits that have piqued my interest the most are DL DaJour Webb (6'1", 335 lbs), LB Broncs Baker (6'1", 215 lbs), LB Rick Brown (6'2", 220 lbs), and CB Carter Bonner (6'2", 190 lbs). As far as current young guys who need to make a big leap next year, I'd go with EDGE Tobi Haastrup, DL Yendor Mack, LB Miles Khatri, CB Vincent Smith, S Jacob Bradford, and S Matt Sieg.
From @Mountiealum97:
Q: Why do we keep going into zone? Every team finds a wide-open receiver in zone, especially on 3rd down.
A: Just don't have the talent to go man as much as Alley would like. And that's not just at corner, although that's a big part of it. WVU's defense just doesn't get nearly enough pressure on the quarterback to be able to play man coverage, which is why they sit in zone as much as they do to try to put the secondary in a better position. Dropping too far in zone or playing too far off could be a problem at times, though.
From @412lawyer:
Q: What is the plan to improve the defense over the bye week? Could we see major improvement after the time off?
A: I wouldn't hold your breath for major improvement. And to be honest, they don't need major improvement to win games down the stretch. They just have to not be the worst defense in Power Four football. Much of the plan, I assume, will be a continuation of simplifying things and doing some of the stuff they showed against TCU, some of which was new. Zeroing in on eye discipline, angles, and fitting the run correctly are going to be the main talking points.
From @CoachFramp:
Q: The Iowa State game loss bothers me, as we’d be 7th in the Big 12 and potentially 1 game behind everybody in the league, pending Utah/Houston going into Lubbock. Hypothetically, if we won out, would we have a chance at the championship game, or are we mathematically eliminated?
A: Not mathematically eliminated just yet, but a lot of things would need to break WVU's way in addition to winning out, of course. The Mountaineers need absolute chaos, and after what happened this past weekend, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of that happening. WVU winning out, though? Probably not nearly as likely. But you're right to feel that way about the Iowa State game. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: DJ Epps should not be blamed for that loss whatsoever, but if he doesn't fumble there, I think they go down and win the game. Definitely one they'd like to have back.
From @QuolffLord:
Q: Did the defense improve, or is TCU's offense just bad?
A: It's a little bit of both. TCU's offense is a mess, but the angles, the confidence (playing faster), and the tackling were much improved. There are still a ton of things that need to be fixed, but it was better than it had been in the previous four games.
To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday, or place your question in the comments section under my poston Facebook.
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