With West Virginia’s season opener two weeks away, head coach Neal Brown is continuing to evaluate his roster further.
On Saturday, Brown talked about three freshmen and what he has seen from them thus far.
“If they(freshmen) can help us right now, we’re going to play them,” Brown said. “If they show in a game scenario, they’re not capable, then we still got those four games(to be eligible for redshirt). We’re going to approach it, if they can help us, we’re going to use them.”
Brown first spoke about freshman tight end Jack Sammarco, stating that he’s been impressed by him so far and that Sammarco has ‘made a move’.
“I think Jack Sammarco really has made a move as a freshman,” Brown said. “He was here in the spring. He’s done a great job blocking. He had a big pass reception today too. So, he’s a guy that’s for sure making a move.”
With Kole Taylor and Treylan Davis as the tight end No. 1 and No. 2, Sammarco can look to be the third guy behind the two, if he continues to play well in practice and possibly game action.
The second freshman Brown mentioned was quarterback Khalil Wilkins, when asked about the ‘young quarterbacks’.
“Khalil, he struggled in his first series today and then he came back he got two more series at the end of the scrimmage. He’s talented. It’s going to take him a little bit of time, we’re going to have to have some patience, but he can really run, he’s athletic, he’s got a quick release, he’s got a strong arm,” Brown said. “Really excited for Khalil. Now, it’s probably going to be in the spring and next fall camp, but skill-wise like I’m excited about him.”
The last freshman, Brown would speak on is defensive back Zae Jennings, when asked directly about Jennings.
“He’s just got to be consistent and that’s a word I use a lot, but consistency to me is about you form trust. So like, consistently doing the right things,” Brown said of Jennings. “The one thing that I love about Zae, man he has courage and you don’t have to talk to him about pulling his pin. He’s really aggressive, but he also does some things because his eyes are undisciplined. So like I love his energy, I love his effort, I love his physicality but his attention to detail and just his consistency play-to-play has got to be better.”
