With just under a month until the Backyard Brawl, West Virginia officially began practicing on Monday. While much of the attention will go to the stars on the team, such as quarterback JT Daniels or defensive lineman Dante Stills, special teams often get overshadowed. However, on game days, a simple miscommunication can often be the difference between a win and a loss. With games constantly coming down to a field goal or a blocked punt, it is imperative special teams coordinator Jeff Koonz and his players are consistently dominant from the first kickoff against Pittsburgh. Since several new faces are stepping into starting roles this season, the Morgantown faithful will closely monitor the special teams unit.
Kickers:
When the game is on the line, it is all the more reassuring to have a reliable kicker. Casey Legg proved he was dependable, making his final ten season attempts. Legg, who received attention for more than just his name, was tied for the 26th best field goal percentage in the country and fourth best in the Big 12. The redshirt senior, who did not miss an extra point in 2021, was also named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza award, given to the nation’s top kicker each year. Although Legg earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big 12 Conference First Team, he will have to improve his consistency and leg strength to show he is one of the nation’s top kickers.
Unlike Casey Legg, the clear placekicker for West Virginia this season, the Mountaineer’s starting punter position is up for grabs. The redshirt sophomore Kolton McGee, and true freshman Oliver Straw, will compete over the next month to see who will be punting against Pittsburgh. Mcgee, a native of Altoona, Pennsylvania, has been with the program since 2019 and received playing time in the previous two years. During the punter’s sophomore season, he pinned the ball inside the 20-yard line four times and had a career-long punt of 51 yards. While McGee has shown flashes of consistency, Straw’s intriguing potential also makes him a viable option to start. The Melbourne, Australia native has a powerful leg that can send the ball 48 to 50 yards consistently. However, a unique characteristic Straw brings to the competition is having the ability to kick the ball with both legs. Although the competition will continue for several weeks, this is a position battle Mountaineer fans should monitor.
While a placekicker or punter could handle the kickoff duties, in college football, a true kickoff specialist is always helpful. Before transferring to Morgantown in 2020, Parker Grothaus, an Indian Lake, Ohio native, handled the kickoff duties for Florida State. Over the past two seasons with the Mountaineers, Grothaus has registered 47 touchbacks on 108 kickoffs. While the redshirt senior has the upper hand to keep his position, Danny King could challenge Grothaus for the spot. Although King is a redshirt freshman and has not seen action in either of the past two seasons, the early season depth chart for the Mountaineers lists kickoff specialists as ‘Parker Grothaus or Danny King.’ It will be interesting to see who walks out on September 1st to begin West Virginia’s 2022 season.
Redshirt-sophomore Leighton Bechdel rounds out the rest of the unit.
Returners
While Sam James contributed to the offensive side of the ball last season, finishing his campaign with 505 yards and five touchdowns, the wide receiver will also be returning punts and kickoffs in 2022. Although James is not the most prominent player on the field at 6 feet and 176 pounds, his surprising speed and uncanny ability to make people miss will undoubtedly lead to big plays for the return units.
However, if the redshirt junior were to go down with an injury, Davis Mallinger would take over punt return duties while Jaylen Anderson would step in to return kickoffs. Mallinger, a redshirt freshman from Melbourne, Florida, is known for his track speed in high school, in addition to his skills at safety. The speedster will surely display his explosiveness down the line for the Mountaineers. Anderson, another redshirt freshman, is on the smaller side for a running back but is certainly not easy to tackle. Along with his stocky build, Anderson’s low center of gravity allows the running back to shed tacklers. The Perry, Ohio native also will bring shiftiness and solid acceleration to the kickoff return unit this season.
Snappers and Holders
Consistency and steady hands are the keys to the game regarding long snapping and holding. With colleges having the ability to recruit such a niche position, coaches expect minimal mistakes, if any, during game days. Austin Brinkman, a Bel Air, Maryland native, has lived up to these expectations in his early college career. As a true freshman, Brinkman appeared in all 13 games for the Mountaineers and earned WVU Special Teams Champion for the contest against Texas last season.
While Brinkman will solely focus on snapping, Graeson Malashevich, primarily a wide receiver and special teams contributor last year, will take over holding duties entering 2022.
Photo by Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
