MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Year 5 of Dana Holgorsen’s tenure at West Virginia is awash with summertime optimism. Having 20 seniors, most of them vital to the two-deep, can put a coach in a good mood.
“I really do feel like we’re by far and away as advanced and as ahead from any of the previous teams that I’ve had here,” Dana Holgorsen said Thursday. “Our team’s in a good place.
“We’ve got so many seniors and juniors and upperclassmen. I’ve talked to everybody about this, but the leadership that I see out there when things get hard during spring, when things get hard doing agilities, running the hill—all that stuff—when things get hard, we’ve got a whole bunch of guys that step up and get things right and bring the younger kids along.”
Holgorsen could use a good season to solidify his job status. His record stands 28-23 overall, 11-16 in Big 12 play and lacking a postseason victory since the Orange Bowl massacre of Clemson (which in fairness, could count for two wins). The athletics director who hired Holgorsen left for an NCAA post, and the new AD didn’t have “contract extension” on his initial to-do list.
Signed only through the 2017 season, Holgorsen sits within a three-year window that might alarm some recruits. Though with seven new commitments in June, and a 2016 class currently ranked 29th nationally, things hardly seem that alarming.
Personnel explained: More than a month after WVU announced that senior cornerback Jaylon Myers and sophomore safety Malik Greaves were no longer with the team, Holgorsen provided clarity.
Greaves gave up football after two hip surgeries and will remain at WVU on medical hardship scholarship. Myers, who was expected to compete for a starting cornerback spot, was declared academically ineligible.
“That’s our one and only academic hit at this point,” Holgorsen said. “I don’t anticipate anymore.”
Huggins talks football: As Holgorsen seeks to build state pride on a team largely constructed from out-of-state recruits, he tapped one of West Virginia’s most recognizable resources.
The one with 765 basketball victories.
Regarding Bob Huggins’ recent speech to the Mountaineers football team, Holgorsen explained:
“Nobody knows more about the state and what it means to the people—what we do as coaches and what our players do—representing West Virginia University. Bringing him in, he’s a great guy and obviously he carries a lot of weight with what he says.”
Traveling the state with Huggins on the fundraising and PR circuit allowed Holgorsen to witness Coach Personality in full crowd-pleasing splendor.
“It’s been five years deep now, so I know all of his jokes,” Holgorsen said. “I know everything he’s about to say.”
Senior safety KJ Dillon described Huggins as “an icon” and even joked about playing some hoops.
“I tried to get him to put me on the court, and he wasn’t having it,” Dillon said. “I can’t shoot but I can drive it to the rack.”