It’s inevitable that the attention Mountaineer senior defensive end Bruce Irvin will receive this season will increase substantially. Irvin emerged on the scene by leading the Big East Conference in sacks with 14 last year as a junior college transfer into the WVU program.
“I’m a student of the game and I am still very young, “Irvin said this week following an off-season conditioning stint at the stadium. “This is just my second year playing from a (long) break. I’m still very raw. I’m very raw in certain situations.
“But I have some of the best coaches in the Big East and in the nation,” Irvin said. “They will make sure that I’m ready.”
It’s clear that Irvin has all of the confidence in Mountaineer defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich and defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel.
“You’ve got to go with Kirlav,” Irvin joked. “He knows his stuff. He’s been here for what, 70 years or something. You can’t question the man. He knows what he’s talking about. He and coach Casteel are both great coaches.
Irvin will be more than just a third down specialist this season. But before camp starts, Irvin is simply worried about surviving the entire off-season conditioning program.
“I got here at the end of June so I wasn’t here the whole summer,” Irvin said of his transfer to WVU. “It is hard work.
“Running,” Irvin said when asked what is the hardest part of the summer workout program. “I’ve seen some of the young pups go down. I remember being in that same spot last year.
“I don’t play this game just to play on third down,” Irvin said. “That’s just kind of the way the ball fell last year. I Know I still have a lot to prove.”