WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen gleefully watches freshman receiver Marcus Simms make plays, while acknowledging the newcomer “has no clue what he’s doing.”
Simms caught two touchdowns, both from another early enrollee, Cody Saunders, to help the offense rally for a 49-46 win in Saturday’s Gold-Blue spring game.
“It’s fun to watch,” Holgorsen said of Simms, the three-star recruit from Sandy Spring, Md. “He does everything wrong and all he does is score touchdowns.”
Even among a talented receiver group that’s stacked two-deep, Simms could be in line for immediate playing time.
“He can stop, he can start, he’s got great hand-eye coordination, and he can stretch the field. He’s going to be a contributor for us next year,” Holgorsen said.
With Saunders likely headed for a redshirt season, his solid spring performance bodes well for 2017 and beyond. The newcomer from Panama City, Fla., completed 6-of-7 passes for 92 yards Saturday.
“Over the last week and a half, we’ve noticed that things are starting to make sense to him,” Holgorsen said. “And the more we’ve repped him, the better it starts looking. He’s a long way away, but he’s showing potential of why we recruited him.”
Watch Holgorsen’s complete postgame news conference above.