Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which wants to take a step back and reassess things today. Because today is Friday. Wendell Smallwood was arrested Monday. He is still an active member of the West Virginia football roster with no prohibitions, notwithstanding the part where he’s in a Wilmington, Delaware, jail right now with a felony charge for witness intimidation on the way.

I assumed — and, yeah, that’s a dangerous word — Smallwood was in for a status change. Dana Holgorsen has been consistently consistent with doling out punishments for the various villains he’s encountered, from dismissing Branko Busick (Aside: He’s doing OK these days.) to suspending Travis Bell for the entire spring semester with every Korey Harris, D’Vante Henry and Ronald Carswell in between.

(I also know, and heard further this week, Holgorsen has been privately admirable about what I guess we’d tend to call second chances, or giving a kid a break, whether in academics, low-profile missteps, financial aid, a roster spot, so on and so forth. Maybe I can get him to disclose these things some day, but I doubt it.)

So the thought was Holgorsen would monitor the situation and act at the appropriate time, and the act could be anything from an indefinite suspension to an outright dismissal, though it made sense to go with the former with the player and the public understanding that route allowed for a return to the team and for exile.

Nothing wrong with thinking that or even endorsing that.

Except nothing happened, and, to me, that’s inconsistent with a pattern we’ve witnessed, and that I just explained above. Perhaps there is no appropriate time. I now think it’s natural to wonder if Smallwood is indeed ever due for a status change.

Let’s think about this: WVU knows the score. It was briefed, it asked questions to all parties and knows all it needs to know, including that a charge is coming. If there’s an impetus to act, WVU has it. Right?

Instead, a kid sat in a jail cell for four days and three nights, alone with his thoughts, and then had to go all the way to Delaware to be charged. We had some theories about this here Monday and, well, they seem sound now, don’t they?

Mean time, people are writing and forwarding opinions that Holgorsen should have acted by now, which is true, but only if Dana believed it was necessary … like he has all those times before. That he hasn’t done anything in this instance says something, I think.

I don’t know, but it’s my job to be skeptical and to put things together. I’ve thought things over a bunch the past few days and this thing, at the minimum, seems wonky. I don’t believe Dana wants to bring this to Dallas with him and deal with it throughout Big 12 media day, but maybe he won’t have to, or maybe that’s the plan attached to a belief this will be resolved soon and a hope it happens before WVU’s appearance Tuesday.

Housekeeping: I’m in Dallas Sunday-Wednesday and then go on vacation, which … let’s not say what we’re thinking, given what I just spent 500 words on. I return to regular duty Aug. 1 and camp opens a day later.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted, In other words, never forget

Bobby Heenan said:

“They really need a free safety to make this tick, though.”

Couldn’t agree more. To me, this is what scares me most about the defense this year. In a pass happy B12, looking at a depth chart at FS of Jeremy Tyler, Ricky Rumph, and Carlton Nash makes me a little nervous.

With absolutely nothing to substantiate this, I contend that had he kept out of trouble, senior Travis Bell would be our starting FS entering the fall.

I wouldn’t dismiss Bell because Dana hasn’t dismissed Bell. I suspect he’ll be reinstated, and though he’ll have work to do, he’ll at least be there. I wouldn’t forget about Dravon Henry, though that may be a long shot for a freshman. That may be more gradual than immediate. So that’s four names, no disrespect intended to Mr. Nash.

Sammy said:

Tyler versus Harper versus Rumph versus Dravon Henry versus Jaylon Myers versus ??? For starting free safety is an underrated and important fall camp battle. It’s been an open secret that we’ve been forced to play with two strong safeties the last couple of years in Cook and Joseph and the good Big 12 offenses (Baylor!) have torched us by isolating those guys and making them look slow and out of position. (This doesn’t change that they were still among our best players, when healthy.)

Who knew we would miss trusty Eain Smith so much?

Let’s see Myers on campus first.

jaybirdeer said:

Mike, Speaking of the Alabama game, how are sales for that game? I think we had 25,000-30,000 to sell and I know they are still selling, so how are those sales going?
As for me, I am a season ticket holder(Red Zone Donor) that lives about 500 miles away and may only make 1 home game this year. I sell the rest to friends or at Stubhub and can usually get close to my money back, at least of the tickets, but usually have to view the $425 per seat as a donation, which I feel good in supporting the program. I am sure I could go to my 1 or 2 games a season by buying on the secondary market, but I do like supporting the program.

At last check this week, they’re under 21,000 of the 24,000 they were allotted, with about an additional 1,000 going to coaches, players, the marching band, the traveling party, etc. 

JAL said:

The right program can land a top recruit from anywhere. When landing players from a distance the key is to get the right ones. WVU got a projected top QB from Texas, Childress, and he did not work out. Wasted recruiting spot or poor coaching development.

Here’s the reality about recruiting the Big 12 area: Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M and the national programs and/or powers (Alabama, USC, Notre Dame and so on) get the kids on the first level. There are occasional outliers, like Oklahoma State, and Baylor is probably a year or so away from joining the first list. Then everyone else comes in and does their thing. But WVU doesn’t really recruit that area. And let’s take a look at this: Has WVU gotten an impact player from Texas? Childress? Nope. Paul Millard? Garrett Hope? Serviceable. Jordan Thompson had a nice rebound season, but he looks like a backup. The door is open for Dustin Garrison. Josh Lambert has a chance to be great. Time will tell for Noble Nwachukwu and Tyler Tezeno and, I guess, Sky Howard. WVU’s best and brightest recruits come from Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland an its normal states. The Mountaineers just need to be more prolific now.

smeer said:

or . . .

lots of reasons Childress is no longer with us including a night-time no head-light under-age drinking DUI that resulted in missing Spring ball his first year here

Eh, there were more reasons, though that one didn’t help. Remember, he was suspended before he decided to leave school, and now people wonder if he’ll ever play again. The torn pec is a major injury for a QB. Also, he played that spring. He missed the spring game. But he wasn’t playing that season. Not with Eu on the roster.

I love you, Doug! said:

Who knew Delaware was so ghetto?

/raises hand

Mr M said:

In the same vein as the proposed “pay for play,” I suggest that each player on the roster at the time of season ticket sales be assigned a value (somewhere in the range of $1 to $20, depending on position, projected playing time, and previous performance) and when players disappear from the team by the time the season starts — for any reason — then ticket holders should receive a refund reflecting the total value of the missing players.

I like it! If Smallwood disappears, that’s two years in a row a big-time offensive player was gone before the start of the season.

I love you, Doug! said:

Is there a legal distinction, defense lawyers here, between witness “intimidation” and witness “tampering?”

Intimidation: “If you testify, I’ll kill you and all your family members and burn down your house.”

Tampering: “If you don’t testify, I’ll give you $5,000.”

Delaware law enforcement referenced implied threats, and even that is somewhat broad.

Down South said:

I guess it depends on the manner in which one attempts to persuade the witness to change his testimony. It isn’t uncommon for a criminal law to have a title like “Intimidating a Witness”, but to also prohibit other conduct that might involve interfering with a witness’s testimony without using threats or intimidation. A so-called lesser included offense that doesn’t really meet the title of the criminal statute. In most states, a criminal case is started by filing a criminal complaint, which would tell what the defendant allegedly did. If the judge or magistrate looks at the complaint and believes there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed a crime, he issues an arrest warrant. It appears that this is the procedure Delaware followed so there should be a complaint filed somewhere that contains an officer’s sworn account of what Smallwood did. If he tried to intimidate a witness in some way, it would have to be described in the criminal complaint. I laughed when I read the Delaware article that suggested that they upped the penalties to combat this suddenly-pervasive problem of witness intimidation. Somebody needs to tell Al Capone that Delaware stole his move.

Looking at delawareonline.com, the murder trial starts jury selection on July 29 with the trial to start the following week. That likely explains why these charges suddenly popped up for Smallwood. My guess is that the charges will go away if he provides testimony that helps the prosecutor with the murder case. In any event, it looks like it should be over by August 10.

Bingo.

MontanaEer said:

After scrolling through the comments section on WV Metro earlier today, let me just say this: Kudos to all of you and your rational, level and competently-grammared [sic] and punctuated posts. Man, that’s a cesspool on that site!

I mean, yeah. Of course.

Also, cesspool!

Mack said:

This is why I get tired of those stories where a player “committed in the 7th grade” and then everyone gasps and is shocked. If “commitments” from 18-year-olds mean nothing, then “commitments” from 13-year-olds REALLY mean nothing. Why they are reported as news is beyond me.

Nonsense. Imagine if that was your job. I don’t know how those folks do it.

tls62pa said:

I’m sure Chugz was told there would be another qb taken. All competition. I like both. Let em fight it out.

Are you? Time will tell, but if he was told — and I have no indication one way or the other — and he committed and eventually stays, I like his moxie. Too often now kids see competition, especially under center, and run. Interesting, too, that it seems like WVU was willing to take Sills or Lamar Jackson, and they’re very different players that would have set different trajectories for the offense. Also, what if Crest, Chugz and Sills are freshmen next fall? History says two will be gone within two years.

smeer said:

Mike – I hope you’ll do an article at some point on the fictitious Eastern Christian Academy football program. It’s a pretty fascinating story how this team was shunned by one Christian high school in Delaware and then joins up with another in Maryland (across the Delaware River) in name only. the “program” has been pretty good to us.

The thought’s crossed my mind, never more often than this week. But a scribe you may have heard of recently wrote about it a few years ago.

Dann White said:

Wow Fella’s
I qoute Wikipedia:
“In 2012 the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association refused to sanction Eastern Christian Academy and this caused many of their opponents to drop them from their schedule. The Maryland State Department of Education voiced concerns with the school including the power and influence of the football program at the school.[3]

Further, the quality of the academic curriculum has been questioned and doubts exist if graduation from the school would allow a student-athlete to meet NCAA eligibility requirements.”

This school’s FB team is jet-setting this fall to play 6 of the top 100 high-school football teams in the US. This may be quite a find for WVU in the football sense, but man this ure sounds a bit too weird for my taste.

Dann

Yeah, it’s a curious place. When we were doing the summer series on NCAA reform, ECA came up in conversation with one Big 12 coach I talked to. He called their slate the hardest high school schedule ever. Ever.

Mike

Mr M said:

So will this mean one of those NCAA Probationary periods (waiting for academic clearance) that can go on for several semesters? Or do they just do that with basketball?

Shorts and Smallwood not only had no qualifying issues, but they were able to enroll in January. WVU is pretty good at looking into this stuff.  Remember when ECA offensive lineman Jamie Herr didn’t sign on signing day and we had so many questions? He’s since reclassified into the class of 2015.

David Kurtz said:

Hey Mike–This is off-topic, but I was wondering if you might want to give us a preview of the other WVU fall sports–soccer (men and women),volleyball, etc.–before the football team gets going again? Some of us are interested in all WVU sports, and summertime might be the best time to give them some attention. Keep up the good work!

Eh, not likely in the format you probably desire. We don’t have the space or need in print for fall sports previews. We’re in Charleston and, frankly, the interest isn’t that large. Same reason I don’t preview or cover many soccer matches or gymnastics meets or baseball games. People aren’t gunning up I-79 to get to those contests. Wholly different story for football and men’s basketball. The interest and the numbers are there. That said, could I spill some ink here? I don’t see why not. 

Down South said:

If we are compiling a list of topics to get us from now until August, it might be nice to get a look at where construction stands on the new baseball stadium.

That’s definitely doable, but only because your fingerprints are all over the blog this week. Only.

netbros said:

Oklahoma State has done a fine job of molding mid-level talent into a strong team concept, hence the lack of individual preseason attention.

The Mountaineers have the same opportunity.

It’s big, in so many meanings of the word.

Hersh_WVU said:

Before I even opened the link to this blog, that was my first thought and I couldn’t agree more.

“I strongly doubt that many of the voters know much about WVU’s recruiting, underclassmen, roster situation, so on and so forth. My hunch is many are more familiar with TCU’s.”

It’s not a conspiracy, but human nature. We’re out on an island and the folks in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas probably aren’t exactly well-versed on the dynamics of the Mountaineer program right now. Why would they be? We haven’t given them much of a reason to invest a lot of time and resources into giving us the benefit of the doubt in these polls and preseason lists. It will have to be earned. That said, I think the 3-8 spots are more up-for-grabs than the point totals may indicate. We’ll find out soon enough.

Yep, and the island hurts the perception. People still don’t fully understand the situation as it is, but that takes time. And I puzzled over the poll. I’d call Kansas State a sleeper for the Big 12 title. I think Texas Tech has a ton of potential and a difference-maker coach. I have doubts about First Year Charlie Strong. But would I be surprised to see Nos. 3-7 shake out in any particular order? Not uh. And that might let an 8 or 9 scoot up a few spots.

Kevin said:

I wonder sometimes how much thought, research and effort voters invest in the season polls, much less a preseason poll. I suspect if WVU were coming off of 2 10 win seasons we would have been voted in the top 3 with the curent roster. For the most part, the really important stuff is decided on the field.

The main thing that really concerns me about the perception side of things is how WVU will be received when the next round of realignment comes… I think the payment of players and the expiration of the GoRs will force another round of it. If WVU keeps stringing together 4 and 5 win seasons, we may not like WVU’s alternatives…

Good God, Kevin, don’t go there! The GoR has 11 more years. Let’s at least wait until we get into single digits, please! 

Philip said:

we’ve got ‘em right where we want ‘em, boys.

Oh?

Philip said:

i never get the quote right.

“they’ve got us right where we want them.”

Enjoy the weekend!