MORGANTOWN - Some folks think WVU's football team is in line to do some nice things in 2016. Some think the Mountaineers aren't.
Name aside, linebacker Justin Arndt believes they are. And defensive coordinator Tony Gibson concurs because Arndt, well, is.
"I like everything about Justin: the way he prepares, the way he plays," Gibson said after WVU's ninth spring practice Saturday. "Today he hit a 265-pound tight end in the open field - and brought every bit of it."
The tight end was 6-foot-3 redshirt junior Jon Lewis.
"I looked around and didn't see many people going after him so I thought it's me or him, mano a mano," Arndt said with a smile. "I just kept rollin'."
Arndt, a 5-11, 215-pound redshirt senior, is quite the story. He was a walk-on from Martinsburg High who only had offers from Shepherd and Fairmont State with a little interest mixed in from Akron. In other words, almost zip.
Today, though, Arndt is in line to start at the strong-side (Sam) linebacker when WVU opens against Missouri Sept. 3. Part of it is Xavier Preston is expected to sit out that game for disciplinary reasons. But Gibson is anything but afraid to use Arndt.
"He's played a lot of football for us, special teams," Gibson said. "He's just a kid that comes out and plays every single day. Plus, he's a guy that's proud to wear that 'WV' on the side of his helmet. It means something deeper to him than it does some of the other guys."
Arndt was a running back and outside linebacker for Martinsburg High. He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back titles as a junior and senior. As a senior, he was the Class AAA championship game MVP when Morgantown defeated George Washington.
Oh, and as a runner? He rushed for 959 yards and had 22 touchdowns in 2011. Any thoughts of maybe ...
"No," Arndt interjected, "I don't think that's going to happen at WVU."
OK, so linebacker it is. Still, it's a terrific story. After walking on, Arndt caught the attention of the coaches with his scout-team play. He won the Tommy Nickolich Award last spring and was awarded a scholarship. Now, he's in line for at least one start.
"Coming from where I came from and from my freshman year to now, I could never have thought I'd be here now," Arndt said. "To see it now is amazing. All that hard work has paid off up to now."
He's been through many coaches and four seasons, but one thing hasn't changed: Arndt's game.
"I just play smart," he said. "Also, I play with effort - and that's one thing no one can take away. Play as fast as you can full-speed and see what happens."
He knows Preston has some advantages.
"Xavier is bigger and powerful," Arndt said. "He can take on blocks. For me, it's all about playing smart and using my abilities the best I can."
By the way, no, he hasn't visualized starting at Puskar Stadium on that Saturday in September.
"I haven't thought about it because it's early yet," he said. "It's spring and we have all summer. But I want to make my town proud. I want all my hard work to pay off. That's the goal: give it all I got and work every day."
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A few practice notes:
n There are more and more whispers surrounding the WVU players that are currently suspended. Not only does it appear running back Donte Thomas-Williams won't return, but now there's speculation kicker Josh Lambert might not be back. If that's the case, look for Mike Molina to take over field goal duties. Jonn Young, a scholarship kicker signed in February, is also an option.
n Last week we addressed some of coach Dana Holgorsen's many offensive options. On Saturday we saw another when fullback Elijah Wellman lined up in the slot and caught a pass downfield.
"They're moving us around a little bit," Wellman said. "It's not like the fullback that sticks his head in there and grounds out yards. You have to wrap your head around a few more things, like running the ball and catching passes in the flat. I'm still the fullback and lead blocker."
n Running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider continues to rave about freshman Kennedy McKoy, who missed with permission to attend his senior prom. ("The deal I make with our early-enrollee kids is they get to go home and do that," Holgorsen said. "I make them bring back pictures. I want to know what their date looked like, what they looked like.")
Seider said McKoy is further ahead than any freshman runner he's been around, which covers much ground. It will make the No. 2 position behind Rushel Shell most interesting when two-time junior college All-America back Justin Crawford hits town.
n David Sills said he still plans on being a quarterback at WVU, despite his continued work at receiver. "That's what I came here to do," he said.
He was asked what he thought upon hearing Florida quarterback Will Grier was transferring in.
"I know he was a great player for Florida," Sills said. "I'm just ready to compete. I love competition. I'm just working hard to help this team."
n Ex-Mountaineer Clint Trickett might have helped WVU land Grier.
"It's a funny story," Holgorsen said. "Those two were able to get to know each other on an airplane. They were randomly sitting next to each other and looked at each other and recognized each other. They started talking. ... Whether that had any impact on [Grier] coming here, I don't know."
n Freshman receiver Marcus Simms missed the practice to attend a funeral.
n If you're looking for a pleasant surprise this spring, safeties coach Matt Caponi suggests you check out redshirt senior Khairi Sharif. The Houston native is backing up Dravon Henry at free safety.
n The Mountaineers were set to practice in full pads and scrimmage Saturday, but the snow made Holgorsen switch plans. The players wore "uppers" and went through individual drills and pass rush and tempo periods.