Neal Brown stresses the need to add quality walk-ons to roster

A lot has been made about building and developing your team through recruiting classes and now the NCAA transfer portal, and rightfully so. But West Virginia head coach Neal Brown understands the importance of having a strong walk-on culture. As he recently explained, following the Mountaineers’ Blue-Gold annual spring game having a great walk on culture is essential for the Mountaineers.

“I think with that award; there’s a little bit of dues paid to it, right? There are certain guys that have earned scholarships, and there’s a long history of quality walk-ons here,” said Brown. “And guys that have walked on, earned scholarships, and been great players. In the four years, we’ve been here, there’s been some really good players that are walk-ons. And more importantly, they’re the glue of your roster.

“For a small state, I think it’s really important for us to have West Virginians. And there’s only a certain amount of Power-5 scholarship players in our state. So, it’s important for us to have a quality walk on the program, and I think that’s something that’s improving.”

West Virginia football has a proud tradition for their spring games, which dates back to 1991. After each spring game, the Mountaineers hand out the Tommy Nickolich Award; an honor given to the most outstanding walk-on. This year’s recipient was sophomore wide receiver, C.J. Cole.

“With CJ, first of all, he is someone that’s very, very respected on our football team. There’s three ways you become a leader,” Brown said. “It’s number one, you’re one of the best players; number two, you’re one of the best people; number three, one of the hardest workers. And there’s no doubt that CJ is one of the best people on our team, and he’s also one of the hardest workers.

“He was a factor force last year on special teams; he played on two special teams. And he’ll continue in that role. He’s one of our best scout team players. And so, all those reasons are the are why he was chosen by the staff as the Nicholas award winner.”

Cole may not have the stats of some of his other college football teammates and is possibly not as talented. But according to Brown, the West Virginia native has heart and is one of the hardest-working individuals on the team. Those two attributes are what make coal essential to the Mountaineers, their culture, and their success on the field. And what better way to reward the senior wide receiver than to honor him with the most prestigious walk-on award in the program.