CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Ye olde notebook:
WVU football coach Dana Holgorsen has stars in his eyes.
Four stars, to be exact.
Last week, the Mountaineer coach said he had three starting positions still open on offense. Then, on Monday, he named the expected starters at offensive guard and at the two receiver positions.
"Based on last week - we had kind of a mock game on Saturday - and I can tell you who rolled out there on Saturday," Holgorsen said. "We haven't done a whole lot since then, so whatever I've about to say may change here in the next week, based on practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. But Shelton Gibson is going to start at X at this point in time, Jovon Durante is going to start at Z and, up front, Yodny [Cajuste] is going to start at tackle, [Adam] Pankey at guard, [Tyler] Orlosky at center, [Kyle] Bosch at guard and [Marquis] Lucas at tackle."
The news along the line is Bosch has apparently won the right guard spot over redshirt junior Tony Matteo.
What isn't news: talent always seems to rise to the top. Some coaches choose to turn a blind eye out of loyalty to older players - and usually are burned. Holgorsen knows he has to win now, this year, and has given the openings to three players given four-star ratings out of high school.
As a redshirt sophomore, Gibson has some experience (he had four catches for 60 yards last season). He caught the coaches' eyes with a nice 47-yard catch-and-run against Texas A&M at the Liberty Bowl. Maybe it's time the Cleveland Heights, Ohio, product breaks out. (Note he was listed at Z on the most recent depth chart, but is now at X.)
Folks in the WVU circle, however, have been raving about Durante. For him to probably start at Z as a freshman is quite the compliment. Holgorsen was asked what he likes most about the Miramar, Florida, product.
"His route-running ability," said the coach. "He does have outstanding speed, but route-running ability, his hand-eye coordination, his ball skills are really good... He's a guy we can use in the return game as well because his ball skills are good. He's fast.
"The whole thing with him is whether he can hold up. There's going to be some wear and tear develop throughout the season. We're going to see if he'll be able to hold up."
Hearing Bosch gets the nod at guard is when you realize Holgorsen isn't playing around. Matteo is well-liked by Holgorsen, but Bosch was a four-star player out of high school who initially went to Michigan. When the NCAA gave Bosch a waiver to play right away it was a gift to Holgorsen, who is trying to replace his best two linemen: guards Quinton Spain and Mark Glowinski.
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As you might remember, WVU received not one, but two transfers from Michigan after Brady Hoke was fired. The other was Michael Ferns, a linebacker turned tight end who must sit out this season.
You might remember Ferns has a highly regarded brother, Brendan, who is currently in his senior season at St. Clairsville, Ohio. The four-star recruit has pared his list of suitors to WVU and Penn State.
What you might not know is what Brendan Ferns did in his team's first game of the season, a victory over Carrollton.
The kid played seven positions in one game. Seven.
Ferns played running back, tight end, wide receiver, quarterback, middle linebacker, outside linebacker and free safety. He had 74 rushing yards on 14 carries, a touchdown while at running back, a touchdown while at quarterback, three catches for 101 yards receiving and 17 tackles on defense.
Other than that, he did squat.
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I was doing some research the other day and ran across an old column going over WVU's top 2014 football commitments at that time.
William Crest, the Mountaineers' No. 2 quarterback, was in there. So was four-star receiver Ricky Rogers, who took a redshirt last season and is not on the depth chart. So was four-star receiver Lamar Parker, who also took a redshirt and is, likewise, not on the depth chart.
Then there was Davonte James, who left Morgantown after saying he was told he would play linebacker yet placed at defensive end. The former four-star ESPN player transferred to Kent State, where he's listed as a defensive lineman.
And there was also receiver Jacob McCrary, who was rated above all by some services. He ended up at Northwest Mississippi Junior College after flirting with Marshall. McCrary is now in his sophomore season and had seven catches for 144 yards in his team's first game.
To illustrate how swiftly the college game moves.
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And finally ...
Charleston's own Ryan Switzer can also attest to the swift movement of the college football waters. As a freshman, the George Washington High grad was the toast of North Carolina. He tied an NCAA record with five punt return touchdowns and was named an All-America pick as a return man. Last summer, he spoke of Heisman Trophy hopes. Then he averaged 4.6 yards per return last season.
Switzer is still brimming with talent. He's listed as a probable starter at wideout for the Tar Heels. But he's toned down his bravado.
"Some of it was a result of what I did my freshman year," Switzer told Dailytarheel.com. "Some of it was the result of the expectations I set for myself.
"I don't regret anything I said or that I did. I just added a little bit more stress that I probably didn't need to worry about. This year, I've gone about it a little differently."
Ah, age and wisdom ...