Experience at cornerback excites coaches

West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel is in uncharted territory this spring with a pair of starting cornerbacks returning.

Last season, the Mountaineers had to replace Ellis Lankster while the 2008 team had to overcome the departures of Larry Williams, Antonio Lewis and Vaughn Rivers.

But with Brandon Hogan and Keith Tandy getting set to enter their senior and junior seasons, respectively, Casteel already knows what he has to work with in the secondary.

"Your comfortable because you have some guys back that have played," he said.

WVU's cornerbacks coach David Lockwood will certainly welcome back a pair of performers who have each been through the trenches.

"On defense, (cornerback) is kind of like the quarterback on offense. You've got two guys out there that have a bunch of reps and it feels pretty good," Lockwood said.

While Hogan and Tandy have plenty of experience, they bring more to the table than a veteran presence.

Hogan has four interceptions and 134 tackles in two full seasons as a defensive back. Last season, the Manassas, Va., native led WVU with 46 unassisted tackles and 11 pass breakups.

"From the first year to this past year he's gotten better," Lockwood said. "If he'll take the third year and improve, then he should have a breakout year."

Tandy finished second on the team with three interceptions and added four tackles for loss in his first season as a starter.

"He's got to continue to build that confidence and get a little more swagger about himself," Lockwood said. "I'm not too worried about Keith because I know he'll do what it takes to get himself ready to go."

After surrendering 132 receiving yards to Carlton Mitchell in last season's 30-19 loss at South Florida, Tandy was heavily scrutinized. He responded well and proved to be a good fit alongside Hogan, helping the Mountaineers lead the Big East Conference with 17 interceptions.

"Keith's one of the guys I've enjoyed the most to coach," Lockwood said. "He'll prepare in film work, he'll get down in the weight room, and he'll do the extra thing to give himself a chance."

Besides Hogan and Tandy, the WVU coaching staff is excited to see what some of its youthful cornerbacks can prove during spring practice.

At the top of that list is sophomore Pat Miller and redshirt freshman Brodrick Jenkins. Miller saw action in nine games last season and Jenkins is listed as Hogan's backup on the spring depth chart.

"The thing we've got to do is develop," Lockwood said. "We've got two or three young guys we're anxious to see this spring."

Casteel is looking forward to seeing what Miller and Jenkins have to offer their second time around because he believes they can help WVU improve on passing downs.

"That's going to be a spot where there's a lot of competition this spring," Casteel said. "They give us a little bit of depth in the nickel and dime situations.

"There's been times over the past three or four years where we didn't have enough guys to do that so we had to play with our regular personnel."