Casteel enters spring in search of speed rusher

"Looking for a speed rusher for a unique 3-3-5 defense. Elite speed and size not necessary, but effort is important."

If West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel would run a classified ad in this newspaper, it would read something like that.

While the Mountaineers' defense is known for its speed in the secondary, they have relied on a speed-rushing specialist in many of Casteel's 10 years to bother quarterbacks, specifically on third downs and passing situations.

"It's great to any defense," Casteel said. "If you have a good pass rush, it's probably going to make your coverage better."

Last year, West Virginia relied on then-seniors Ovid Goulbourne and Zac Cooper to take over that role.

Those players aren't necessarily key to every-down success on defense, but on third downs or against a pass-happy attack the position is of great importance, Casteel said.

Goulborne and Cooper combined for 30 tackles and nine sacks.

They were second and third in sacks on the team, respectively, behind defensive end Julian Miller.

Without those players to rely on this season, Casteel is going to have to develop new talent to take over.

"We don't know who's going to end up at that position because we're not loaded with those types of kids," Casteel said. "When we have to, we will find our best pass rushers regardless of position, and those will be the guys who play in those positions."

But, it's not like Casteel hasn't had to plug in new players at the position before.

Two seasons ago, WVU used 245-pound Marc Magro as the specialist because of his ability to use his hands and overall strength to beat blockers, Casteel said.

Other players like Johnny Dingle and John Holmes made a name for themselves as pass rushers early in their careers before taking over in more significant roles.

Casteel said he's not necessarily looking for a certain height or weight. Goulbourne, Cooper and Holmes all played at 230 pounds and were the most successful statistically at the position.

"I don't know if there's a certain characteristic we are looking for other than a guy that can win on a consistent basis," Casteel said. "We've had to manufacture guys from the linebacker spot the last two of three years."

Instead of a certain size, Casteel looks for a player with a high motor – one that won't take plays off and works hard in practice.

"That's how we ended up finding Coop. We said, ‘Hey, Coop's got a high motor and has good instincts, plays hard, great kid, so let's get him the opportunity to see if he can go rush the quarterback,'" Casteel said. "We do that every spring, and we do that every fall."

Casteel isn't necessarily targeting a certain player to take over for Goulborne and Cooper. However, Casteel mentioned linebacker Najee Goode who has experience at the position.

"We're looking for a guy that can win against a pass protector. Most of those guys are high motor guys," Casteel said. "We're going to wait and see. When we go out there and rev it up, we'll see what happens."

Whoever ends up winning the spot will have a significant advantage over Goulbourne and Cooper.

After returning just three starters last year, the Mountaineers expect to return nine, including one of the most experienced front lines in the country.

Casteel called nose tackle Chris Neild the best at the position he has coached while at WVU. Beside Neild will be end Miller and tackle Scooter Berry. Combined, the three have started 70 games.

That type of experience along the front line should open up more spots for a pass rush from that specialist position.