Corey McIntyre Jr. to surprise people on WVU’s defensive line

Son of a former NFL player, West Virginia defensive lineman Corey McIntyre Jr. has been around football his whole life.

His father, Corey McIntyre Sr. played for the Mountaineers from 1998-2001, before an 11-year career in the NFL, but played on the different side of the ball than his son, as a fullback. The power and quick feet have been passed down, however, allowing McIntyre Jr to have the opportunity to display his natural athleticism on the D-line for WVU.

“Athletically, he’s got the best feet in my room,” West Virginia defensive line coach Andrew Jackson said of McIntyre. “Strength and conditioning has been the biggest piece, you know cardiovascular-wise, he’s gotten in shape. You can’t not get stronger in our program.”

However although football is a very physical game, there is a huge mental part of it too. A player must be able to read the game and its situations as well as be in their best headspace, which McIntyre has also improved.

“Now, he’s growing mentally, the game’s able to slow down for him, so he’s able to play fast. Everything is clicking for him right now,” Jackson said.

McIntyre, a redshirt-freshman is still young but has shown to be a player that the Mountaineers can rely on to do his job and possibly make a big stop. With his versatility, he can play multiple positions and may be a Swiss Army knife for WVU’s defensive line.

“Corey can play all three spots, I haven’t decided yet where I’m going to officially put him,” Jackson said. “Corey’s able to play them all, I think we’re probably playing him more behind Eddie (Vesterinen) right now, but he’s got some versatility as well.”

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown also expressed his faith in McIntyre noting his athleticism as well. He conveyed that McIntyre is having a strong start to the spring and sees him as a player that can make an impact.

“The one person I’m really excited about watching is Corey McIntyre,” Brown said. “We played him some in the bowl game and he’s got twitch and he’s really worked hard I think he’s he’s going to be a for sure factor for us.”

Although he didn’t show up in the stat sheet a ton last season while he was redshirting, having played in just three games making one tackle, fans can expect to hear McIntyre’s name called and No. 52 jersey on the field in 2024. With West Virginia’s defense, especially the defensive line looking a lot different this year McIntyre can be a player to step up in numerous roles and be a spark for the Mountaineers.