Here’s a question: Is this the best ball-in-his-hands player WVU has had since Tavon? It’s Kevin White and Mario Alford and … Wendell Smallwood? I don’t know. It’s a short list, though, right?

Durante is up there. He’s a different body and a different set of skills than White. He’s faster than Alford. He’s not a running back like Smallwood. Maybe it’s not fair to have an answer yet, because game by game we’re seeing WVU, a team that’s often cautious about usage and with young players in particular, ask Durante to do something new and additional.

“He’s been that guy, but at the beginning of the year, we missed him on certain plays,” receivers coach Tyron Carrier said. “When his number is called now, we’re hitting him, and things are starting to happen for him. That can be a good thing and a bad thing at times.”

 The good is obvious. WVU’s coaches like to limit their receivers. They play inside or outside, and if they play outside, they stick to one side of the field. They focus on a restricted number of routes and make sure they learn the staples of the offense before they grow.

Durante, though, was an outside receiver as a freshman who moved this year, and he handles short and vertical routes and even gadget plays like reverses, options and the touch pass.

“We put guys in situations where they can be successful,” Carrier said. “Otherwise, you’re really not a good coach. We put him in those situations because we know he can handle it. He’s a big play waiting to happen.”

Related: Durante told me exactly how fast he is.