MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jovon Durante’s transition from outside receiver to the slot seems full-go, and West Virginia coaches want to ensure their most dynamic athlete stays full-speed as he learns the nuances of a new position.
“He’s our fastest receiver,” coach Dana Holgorsen said Tuesday. “The trick with moving guys inside is being able to continue to play fast like that.”
Durante can absorb plenty from fourth-year starter Daikiel Shorts, the team’s most reliable intermediate route-runner and the primary slot man in three-wide sets. When WVU goes four-wide, as was the case during live drills this week, the springy Durante adds a dangerous option.
Though he struggled with drops as a freshman, resulting in a 24-catch season, Durante routinely ran past corners on the outside. Now he looks just as difficult to cover on routes over the middle and up the seams.
“We knew he could go in there because he’s so shifty,” said teammate Shelton Gibson, who’s more of a straight-line burner. “He can get upfield and shake-and-bake the linebackers and safeties.”
That’s presuming Durante’s mind isn’t baked from the increased traffic that complicates the slot. Even gifted receivers can’t necessarily function inside—see Mario Alford in 2013.
“At inside there’s so much thinking,” said WVU receivers coach Tyron Carrier said. “You’re not just dealing with a corner and a safety no more. You’re having to know where to sit in holes. You have to know different situations with different coverages.”
As preseason camp enters its second week, Holgorsen sees Durante making enough plays to validate the move. The payoff depends on how long it takes quarterback Skyler Howard to calibrate throws at different angles to his fastest target. After all, the steady Shorts owns one catch of 30-plus yards in 38 career games. Durante made three in his college opener.
“You can’t just plug a guy in,” said Holgorsen. “I can assure you watching Jovon run a dig and Daikiel run a dig is two different things.”