West Virginia Football: 5 players to watch this Spring

NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 25: Wide receiver Marcus Simms #8 of the West Virginia Mountaineers waits to return a punt against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated West Virginia 59-31. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

A true high impact freshman defensive back for the Mountaineers in 2017, safety Kenny Robinson emerged as a leader. It’s impressive to see such a young defensive back come through in such a big way considering the Big 12 is not the most friendly conference to secondaries.

Robinson ended up drawing two turnovers that he took back for touchdowns last year. Both of those turnovers were game changing plays for West Virginia. And, Robinson should get even better come the 2018 campaign.

West Virginia’s safety duo should sit among the best in the Big 12 this season. It’s not just Robinson that can help this defense reach new heights this year. Rising senior safety Dravon Askew-Henry was big in 2017 in his first full season back from injury.

Watching Robinson’s development is key to the fortunes of West Virginia’s defense in 2018. There were some solid efforts out of the group in 2017, but mostly struggles to stop opposing offenses. Giving up at least 50 points to the Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys is something that cannot happen to the Mountaineers if they want to make the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game.

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