The West Virginia defensive line is going to have a new strategy this season under new defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. The Mountaineer defense will keep three men on the front line, but the WVU defensive linemen will have more opportunities to make plays and play an aggressive style under Koenning’s direction. This strategic change will hopefully spark excitement and bring more big plays for the Mountaineers of the defensive side.

Koenning’s defensive line consists of three positions, which are nose tackle, strong side defensive end, and weak side defensive end. While the game plan will be different for the defensive front, the Mountaineers on the line will be familiar names and faces. Junior, and Fairmont native, Darius Stills will likely be the first man up at nose tackle. The strong side defensive end position will also be led by West Virginia natives. Cabell Midland product Reese Donahue will likely lead the way at the position, and as a senior veteran for the WVU defense. Fairmont native Dante Stills and Morgantown product Stone Wolfley will also provide strong depth for the Mountaineers at strong side defensive end. Redshirt sophomore Taijh Alston and redshirt junior Jeffery Pooler, Jr. will be the at the top of the depth chart at weak side defensive end.

The changes in the defensive line strategy for WVU will hopefully bring more opportunities for these Mountaineers, and their supporting teammates, to make plays and create havoc in Big 12 backfields.

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Three former Mountaineers are playing on the international stage at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence are playing for the Canadian national team, and Buchanan has already provided a great boost for the team. Buchanan scored Canada’s only goal in the first game of group play, earning her Player of the Match honors. Michaela Abam is also playing in the World Cup for Cameroon.

This week’s Workout Warriors and Academic Student of the Week have been named for the WVU football team. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Colton McKivitz, senior running back Martell Pettaway, and redshirt junior Logan Thimons were named the Workout Warriors for the week. The Academic Student of the Week was junior cornerback Dreshun Miller.

Neal Brown and the Mountaineer coaching staff continue to work on the recruiting front, gaining more commitments from recruiting targets. Cornerback David Okoli from Maryland committed to WVU after coming to Morgantown for a camp recently. Defender Lanell Carr also committed to the Mountaineers. Carr will likely play outside linebacker or defensive end at WVU.

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