COACHING STAFF AND TURNOVER

Coach Holgorsen enters his 7th season as the WVU head man after taking over for the late Bill Stewart in 2011. His overall record at WVU is 46-31 (22-23 in Big 12 play). The following coaching summaries must be credited to Dave Ackermann of BlueGoldSports.com. In Holgorsen’s time at WVU, he has seen four defensive coordinators and employed at least three defensive schemes. Current defensive coordinator Tony Gibson has been at that position since 2014. Defensive line and linebackers have also seen four different position coaches since 2011, with the current coaches of both units having been there since 2015. Cornerback will be an area where WVU will bring in a new coach in 2017, their fifth since 2011. The safety position has seen five different coaches since 2011, with current coach Matt Caponi having been there since 2016.

On offense, WVU will have a new offensive coordinator in 2017 (Jake Spavital), their fourth offensive coordinator under Holgorsen. Spavital was a former QB coach at WVU who returns this year to call the plays. Interestingly, Holgorsen has indicated that he will turn all play-calling duties over to his new OC, something he has not done in the past as Holgorsen has been the signal-caller in past seasons. Joe Wickline will be the new offensive line coach in 2017, the third at that position since 2011. Also new to the staff in 2017 will be running backs coach Tony Dews, the third at that position under Holgorsen. Tyrone Carrier has coached the wide receivers since 2016 when he became the fourth WR coach since 2011. Four coaching changes have also occurred in the special teams coaching ranks, with current coach Mark Scott handling that position since 2016.

Heading into the 2017 season, those amount to 44 coaching staff changes since 2011, with 22 of those leaving for another job or being let go. The remainder were coaches changing positions or returning to the staff after a brief hiatus. In terms of new faces to the coaching staff, this equates to an approximate average of 3.5 new coaches per year. That is a staff that could be called unstable.

JUCO PLAYERS

WVU has not been shy about bringing JUCO players into the fold, having signed eight to their 2017 recruiting class (8 of 21 signees to be exact). Many, or most, will be expected to contribute during 2017. Counting all JUCO signees, WVU will have 16 JUCO players on their opening day roster against the Hokies. Add in another four Division 1 transfers into the program who are now eligible, that gives 20 players on the WVU roster who did not begin their collegiate careers at the school. That is nearly 25 percent of their scholarship roster who began their careers elsewhere.