Thomas-Williams ‘hasn’t done enough’ in camp, slips to fourth string

West Virginia running back Donte Thomas-Williams catches a pass during preseason practice in Morgantown, W.Va.

 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Wendell Smallwood looks better than Charles Sims, and Rushel Shell looks better than a year ago. But West Virginia’s presumed No. 3 running back, Donte Thomas-Williams, shows why presumptions are tricky.

Fullback Elijah Wellman has jumped Thomas-Williams on the depth chart, a surprising slippage for the four-star recruit out of Durham, N.C., who was among the Mountaineers’ top additions on national signing day in 2014.

“He hasn’t done enough in camp,” running backs coach JaJuan Seider said. “Does he have potential? Yes, but we all got potential until we unleash it.”

A powerful-looking runner at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Thomas-Williams showed quite a burst during April’s scrimmage at the Greenbrier Resort, popping a third-and-1 run for a 60-yard touchdown. That day he looked every ounce like the player Ohio State, Clemson and Florida State pursued, and presumably, like the guy Seider could count on as his top backup in 2015.

That development hasn’t stuck to trajectory. Seider said this week he wouldn’t be comfortable using the redshirt freshman in game packages.

“Everybody’s caught up with the run he made at the Greenbrier, but he hasn’t done enough,” Seider said. “He knows that. He’s been out-played.”

“Everybody’s caught up with the run (Donte Thomas-Williams) made at the Greenbrier, but he hasn’t done enough” in camp, JaJuan Seider said. “He knows that. He’s been out-played.”

Out-played by Wellman, who shifted from tight end to running back this spring—out of necessity—when Andrew Buie and Dustin Garrison transferred. Through nearly four weeks of preseason practice, Wellman has shown the kind of dependability coaches want from Thomas-Williams.

“You know Eli is going be great at (pass) protection,” Seider said. “He’s being physical, he’s moving people at the point. He’s going against three or four pretty good linebackers every day and he’s winning a lot of those battles.

“And he may not go 15 or 20 yards, but at least when you hand the ball to him he’s going to go 2, 3, 4 or 5 yards. He’s a kid I’d love to had the ball to in short-yardage situations because he’s going to go forward.”

So why has Thomas-Williams essentially gone backward? It’s not a physical holdup, because even his buddy/critic Seider complimented him on dropping the baby fat he brought to Morgantown. No, the kid is plenty lean and strong and capable, though it’s just not showing in his practice reps. That has sparked some frank conversations.

Said Seider: “I told him, ‘It’s time for you to turn it loose. Get over the perception where you think you may be the guy, because you’re not the guy.’ He hasn’t done anything here. He just needs to go be a player.”

Scatback Jacky Marcellus has endured different issues, though with overlapping results. The 5-8 redshirt sophomore spent two years at slot receiver before last spring’s return to the backfield and a possession he played at Immokalee (Fla.) High.

“Jacky’s a kid who tries hard and puts too much pressure on himself,” Seider said. “Then it’s fourth-and-1 and he goes the wrong way on a handoff.”

The frustration grates on Seider, now feeling deadline pressure to develop depth before the Sept. 5 season opener against Georgia Southern. While Smallwood and Shell have combined for 576 touches in their college careers, the rest of WVU’s running backs have combined for six.

Even presuming an injury-free year—there we go presuming again—two stellar running backs can’t carry the load exclusively in a no-huddle attack that last season snapped the ball an average of 84 plays per game (included 108 at soggy Maryland).

So Seider asks himself the daily question: Who’s going to be the next guy in?

“I tell them there ain’t no pressure on you. You’re not the starter—get that out your head,” he said. “Your job is to be the next guy when No.7 (Shell) and No. 4 (Smallwood) get tired. We’re going to motion those guys out, we’re going to get in empty (sets). We’re going to play fast, so they’re going to get tired. Somebody needs to step up.”