John "Doc"
Holliday and the rest of the West Virginia coaches aren't sitting in their Morgantown offices this spring nervously biting their fingernails and tapping their feet while they await the final word on Hargrave Military Academy running back Terence Kerns.
"If he made it, that would be a great addition,"
Holliday said Thursday afternoon during a practice round for the WVU Classic at Berry Hills Country Club.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Kerns is a powerful runner who would help fill the void left by NFL early entrant Steve Slaton, whom the Houston Texans drafted in the third round.
"We feel pretty confident he is going to be fine,"
said Holliday, who is the Mountaineers' recruiting coordinator and associate head coach. "We would love to have him, but until it shakes out, we won't know anything. We're set to go regardless. We signed some other kids."
Holliday said Mark Rodgers already is on campus and Zach Hulce likely will be there soon.
Both are expected - and needed - to provide immediate depth behind sophomore Noel Devine, the 5-8, 173-pound speedster whose diminutive frame can't afford to constantly carry the football.
"The bottom line is, you're never going to get through a season with one tailback or one running back regardless of where you are,"
Holliday said. "Somebody has to step up."
The Mountaineers have another option in sophomore Jock Sanders, a 5-7, 174-pound slot receiver who also can spell Devine.
The problem there is, it creates a domino effect.
"When you put him at tailback, you take him out of the slot receiver,"
Holliday said. "Then, we have to find somebody who can step up at that position."
WVU Coach Bill Stewart is high on Rodgers and Hulce, offering these comments when they signed their national letters of intent.
Of Rodgers, a 5-9, 185-pound running back from Leuzinger (Calif.) High School, Stewart said: "Mark adds depth and provides outstanding competition at the tailback and slot positions. He has Devine-type speed and is very quick, agile and has good vision as he runs the field."
Of Hulce, a 5-10, 200-pound running back from Glendale (Ariz.) Community College, Stewart said: "Zach is a big, strong and athletic running back who fits well into our spread offense. He has good fundamental skills, outstanding speed and has excellent character."
Holliday gave no indication of where Kerns stands academically and what else he needs to do to qualify. He said that falls on the shoulders of Kerns and Hargrave Coach Robert Prunty.
"It's all up to them,"
Holliday said.
"It's out of our hands at this point. If he has work to do, he has to get it done."
Kerns still is trying to meet the requirements of the NCAA sliding scale.
"It's up to him to either get a test score to match his GPA or a GPA to match his test score,"
Holliday said.
Holliday said the Mountaineers - with or without Kerns - will know more about their personnel and depth at running back when preseason practice starts.
"You never feel totally comfortable,"
Holliday said. "Until we put the pads on in August, we aren't sure exactly what we have in Rogers or Hulce and, to that extent, even Kerns if he makes it."
"We're in a little bit of a predicament, I think, because Noel, of course, is a known commodity and the rest of them aren't. We have a lot of unknowns at this point. Until those kids get on campus and we actually can see what they can do, our personnel and our depth aren't going to be set."
