West Virginia Football: 10 best individual seasons under Dana Holgorsen

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MORGANTOWN, WV – SEPTEMBER 29: Karl Joseph #8 of the West Virginia Mountaineers pumps up the crowd against the Baylor Bears during the game on September 29, 2012 at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

No. 8: Karl Joseph, Safety | 2012

Not many defensive players stand out from Holgorsen’s track record, but that’s because he’s an offensive guy. A former wide receiver-turned offensive coordinator-turned head coach, we expect his teams to have gaudy offensive numbers. Karl Joseph didn’t fall under that large umbrella.

Instead, the three-star recruit from Orlando, Fla., displayed a toughness that would altar the Mountaineer program for the foreseeable future. Standing 5-foot-11 and possessing excellent ball awareness, Joseph was a nightmare when barreling down from his safety position — just ask Marquise Goodwin.

He managed 104 tackles in 2012, including seven tackles for loss, while adding a sack and two interceptions to his resume. Have I mentioned Joseph was a freshman in 2012? He continued producing throughout his career, but he caught the eye of Mountaineer Nation early and they’ve kept them on him ever since.

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Eclipsing 100 tackles is impressive, too, but to accomplish that feat as a freshman? WVU found a staple for their secondary that would hold it down for years.

Joseph’s senior campaign is the only year that rivals his freshman season, but it was cut short due to injury. At the time of said injury, Joseph had the most interceptions in college football (5) just five games into the year. He was drafted 14th overall by the then-Oakland Raiders.

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