Neal Brown talks about portal targets, players quitting, and injuries.
Head coach of West Virginia University Neal Brown held a zoom call meeting with the media from his hotel room in Las Vegas. During the call, he talked about the Duke Mayo Bowl, the whereabouts of a few key players, and his plans for the transfer portal. Zach Frazier, the center who was last seen hobbling off the field in the closing seconds of West Virginia’s thrilling victory over Baylor, was one of the most talked-about subjects.
“Zach had a successful surgery and he’s well on the road to recovery,” stated Brown, who attended the William V. Campbell Trophy ceremony in Vegas with Frazier, who is a finalist, while the latter is hobbling around on crutches.
Preston Fox was the other important player to lose in the season finale versus Baylor. The starting receiver appeared to slam his head into the ground as he went down hard during an impressive catch. But a moment later, he was seen clutching his chest and complaining of difficulty breathing. Although Brown did not disclose the specifics of Fox’s injury, he did indicate that there is a possibility he will play in the bowl game.
“I think it’s too early to tell whether he’s going to [be available or not],” Brown stated. “He’s getting better. It’s a somewhat involved procedure. We won’t really know that, in my opinion, until the 22nd game week.
Of course, the Mountaineers’ concerns about player availability will extend beyond injuries. With the opening of the NCAA Transfer Portal on Monday, hundreds of players left their current university. As of the time this story was published, WVU had only lost wide receiver Ja’Shaun Poke as a new addition who had not previously announced their departure, and the players who had already left together had played exactly zero meaningful snaps on offense or defense in the final six games of the season.
We dedicated a significant amount of time last week to [retention]. It will continue, “stated Brown. “We’re hoping to hang on to our key players.” There will be some loss. That is typical behavior. We’re hoping to hold them all together. After the bowl game, there will definitely be some activity. Although I’m happy with where it is now, things will continue to move forward until the portal closes.
In relation to the portal, the Mountaineers will be adding to it in addition to losing players to it. According to Neal Brown, they want to increase the quantity in the linebacker room and are searching for “one proven guy” to add to the wide receiver group. But priority has gone to one area of the field over all others.
“Secondary is going to be the primary area we’re going to focus on in the portal,” Brown stated. “We’d also like to add a pass rusher, but secondary is going to be first and foremost.”
RaeQuan Battle, a guard for West Virginia University, made a statement last week criticizing the NCAA for rejecting his eligibility twice in one season. Today, he took things a step further and stood in front of the camera to discuss his circumstances and once again address the NCAA. Watch it in the aforementioned video.
Here are the final College Football Playoff rankings and conference championship weekend. When Florida State, the defending champions, was not included in the selection process because of Jordan Travis’s injury, pandemonium broke out. In CBS Sports’ weekly 1-through-133 ranking, the Seminoles had better luck. Below is the weekly edition of the ranking that includes every FBS program.
Michigan, Washington and Florida State kept unbeaten marks intact by winning respective conference championships. Georgia fell to Alabama, which would prove to be costly to the Seminoles
Mike Norvell, the coach of Florida State, expressed his disgust and infuriation over the committee’s decision to take away what was earned on the field. “What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is okay to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play a senior on Senior Day for fear of injury? Where is the motivation to schedule challenging non-conference games?” Norvell said after his program was excluded from the CFP via Noles247.
