MORGANTOWN- When the Mountaineer defense takes the field this season, things may not be as bad as they were the last couple years.
That’s because new head coach Rich Rodriguez brought in one of the hottest up-and-coming defensive coordinators in college football, Zac Alley.
Alley comes to Morgantown from Oklahoma where he was the DC for the last two seasons. He was also Rodriguez’s defensive coordinator during his time at Jacksonville State as well and those paths that crossed developed a good relationship between the two.
Alley likes to disguise his defenses and loves to bring pressure from all angles. To do that, the defensive line needs to do their part up front to allow everyone behind them to make plays, while of course, the D-line guys make some as well. And from all accounts, the D-line is ready to go.
One of the deeper positions on the team, the defensive line got some huge news on Wednesday afternoon when a federal judge in Morgantown granted a TRO (temporary restraining order) to four Mountaineer players who had filed a lawsuit regarding their eligibility to be able to play this season.
The TRO grants all four players that wish and one of those players, Jimmori Robinson, will now be added to the defensive line group and gives that unit a huge shot in the arm.
Robinson spent last season at UTSA where he was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year after recording 43 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks. If fans remember Bruce Irvin at WVU, Robinson may very well be Irvin 2.0. He is a legitimate NFL prospect and most teams around the country wanted him for this year but thought his eligibility issue would be too tough of an obstacle to overcome. So, their loss is West Virginia’s gain.
Adding to the D-line’s deep depth, Edward Vesterinen is back for another year at WVU. Eddie V, as he’s called, has been a solid contributor during his time, but missed almost all of last season due to injury. In 2023, however, Vesterinen, who is from Finland, had 28 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and three sacks.
Hammond Russell IV should anchor one of the spots up front after a 2024 season where he finished with three sacks. Another returning Mountaineer–hey, he’s not a transfer– Russell most likely has his best season this year as the staff really likes what he can do.
Speaking of transfers, Missouri transfer Eddie Kelly, Jr. has drawn rave reviews in practice with one source claiming he may be the most complete player on the whole roster. If that is the case, and Kelly plays well this year, he will add even more fire to an already position of strength. Last season for the Tigers, Kelly’s best game came against Auburn when he had three tackles, two for loss, a QB hurry, and a pass defended.
Incarnate Word transfer Devin Grant is another body who will be thrown in the mix. Grant, who played at Colorado for two years, is familiar with power 4 football and his 2024 season of solid production makes him an ideal fit for what Alley wants to do with his defense.
Corey McIntyre, Jr. is back and ready to roll after an injury last year in camp forced him to miss all of 2024. Before he was injured, the legacy player was in line to start last season and by all accounts, he is 100 percent healthy right now.
Other names that will see the field this year include Asani Redwood (17 tackles, 2.5 TFL, sack in ’24), Nate Gabriel (9 tackles), and Adam Tomczyk. Redwood and Gabriel have played for WVU their whole careers so far and have been productive. They are a couple more reasons why the D-line may finally be a positive this year and hopefully, beyond.
*On Robinson– There is a question if he is actually eligible to play because he had an academic issue where he allegedly did not complete two classes he needed to do while at UTSA, a separate matter from the original lawsuit. But Robinson graduated with an undergrad degree and most around the program are confident that he will be available for this season. Even if the NCAA appeals the ruling, appeals typically take months to begin whereas the season would most likely be over by that point anyway.
