Do you remember when Mark Scott was hired? It was the start of spring practice in 2015, and West Virginia had been linked to a couple of coaches you’ve probably heard of before. I’m certain someone mentioned Chip West at some point. But at the end of the first news conference before the first spring practice, Dana Holgorsen said he’d hired Scott.

Except, like, nobody heard him say it.

It was Selection Sunday, and we were on the turf at Mountaineer Field. The music in the stadium was blaring. No one had asked Holgorsen if he’d hired someone. He just closed with it, probably realizing he had some news and he ought to share it with the people standing before him. When the very brief conversation was over, some sports information people had to pull some reporters aside to make sure we knew Scott had been hired. And then there were some other reporters who had to figure out who Scott was.

It was so weird, but it was also so appropriate.

Scott is essentially a man without an identity at WVU. I mean, he has an identity, but it’s like no one else’s on the staff … which is also appropriate. There are nine assistant coaches — four on offense and five on defense — and eight of them are in charge of a position, or, in the case of Joe Wickline, a combination of positions. Scott is the outlier. His assignment is defense and special teams.

He does quite a few things beneath those titles, but his biggest job is working with defensive coordinator Tony Gibson during games. Gibson is on the sideline. Scott is in the coaching box above the field. What he sees and how he communicates with Gibson shapes every play call. Gibson said Scott is “the best I’ve ever been around in 21 years of coaching.“

“The thing he does best is he understands me and he thinks like I think,” Gibson said. “He knows what I’m thinking. He’s just a good voice in my ear at all times about, ‘Here’s what they’re doing. Here’s their personnel. They’re going with these guys.’

“And he talks me off the ledge at times, which is good.”