West Virginia football: Way-too-early 2-deep depth chart projection for 2019

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ORLANDO, FL – DECEMBER 28: Kenny Robinson Jr. #2 of the West Virginia Mountaineers celebrates on the sideline after intercepting a pass in the first quarter of the Camping World Bowl against the Syracuse Orange at Camping World Stadium on December 28, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Secondary

West Virginia football ranked 75th defensively in 2018, allowing a whopping 406.3 yards per game. Brown and Koenning’s Trojans at Troy, however, ranked 31st, surrendering under 350 total yards per game. While the Sun Belt Conference isn’t the Big 12, Brown will have better athletes at his disposal at West Virginia. The 2019 secondary is also one of the more-experienced position groups on the team.

Starting corners: Josh Norwood, Keith Washington Jr.
Reserve corners: Hakeem Bailey, Dreshun Miller

After spending time in the Big Ten and at the JUCO level, both Josh Norwood and Keith Washington Jr. are ready to increase their roles at WVU after impressive 2018 campaigns. Norwood started 10 of 12 games and was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 performer by the league’s coaches, while Washington Jr. was second on the team in pass breakups and fifth in interceptions.

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Hakeem Bailey provides another option at corner with plenty of experience, having played in 23 career games with nine starts. All three are redshirt seniors, so there shouldn’t be any mistakes on the back-end due to communication. Dreshun Miller, another player with JuCo experience, enrolled at WVU in January and has already made an impression on the coaching staff.

Starting safeties: Derrek Pitts Jr., Kenny Robinson Jr.
Reserve safeties: Jake Long, Kerry Martin

Much like Darius Stills on the defensive line, Derrek Pitts Jr. is another home-grown talent who chose the Mountaineers that is poised for a breakout junior year. He bounced around a few positions the past two seasons, but seems to be in line for a starting job at safety. Alongside him is junior standout Kenny Robinson Jr. Robinson’s started 20 of 25 career games he’s appeared in and was named to the All-Big 12 First-Team in 2018. He was tied with the second-most interceptions in the conference with four, and averaged 6.6 tackles per game, 14th in the Big 12.

While Pitts and Robinson are the guys, another corner-turned-safety in Jake Long is expected to contribute along with freshman early enrollee Kerry Martin.

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