The fella behind West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen? That’s Charlestonian Derrek Pitts. He’s probably going to play as a true freshman. He and four other in-state players are in line for playing time in the fall on defense alone.

The number of state natives on the depth chart should be encouraging to the high school players and coaches within our craggy state lines.

“[The talent] keeps getting better and we keep recruiting it,” Gibson said.

“People grow up here and want to be a part of it,” Lewis said. “You live and breathe it.”

“If they’re good enough to help us win, we’re going to recruit them,” Gibson said. “As a coach, though, you don’t look at them and say, ‘He’s a West Virginian; we’re going to play him.’ That’s not the way it works. I like my job. We’re going to play the best 11.”