MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — With Pat Eger sidelined by an ankle injury, redshirt freshman Tyler Orlosky has been taking first-team reps at center the past four practices.
The 6-foot-4, 295-pounder from Cleveland, Ohio, worked as scout-team guard last season, but played center as a ninth- and 10th-grader at St. Edward High, making his transition simpler than Eger’s — a senior who had never snapped until January.
“My high school coach always told me to learn how to snap, because there’s only so many guys who know how,” Orlosky said. “He said learning how to snap gets you into the game.”
Realizing that spring ball is a time for experimentation, shuffling linemen and developing fundamentals, Orlosky said the physical aspect of snapping is less problematic than learning to make calls and building chemistry.
“I think I’m doing all right at the moment,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever played in a game-type situation with these linemen. I was on scout team last season and didn’t get much work with these guys.”