West Virginia’s Neal Brown Pushes Versatility in Replacing Tykee Smith
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The results of spring football are far from permanent, but they help develop a structure heading into the fall -- something the West Virginia football team may need in the secondary.
Tykee Smith, the Mountaineers' starting spear for most of the last two seasons announced his intentions to transfer on Wednesday, creating a gaping hole in the back line of the defense.
Head coach Neal Brown told media Saturday that the decision for Smith's departure was "mutual."
"It's a lot like some relationships I'm sure everyone on here has been in," Brown said. "It just gets to a point where it's best for both parties, and that's kind of where we were. Nothing negative to say about him; had a really good two years here being productive on the field, and we'll wish him the best."
During his two seasons in a WVU uniform, the Philadelphia native developed into an All-American choice. After playing a handful of games during his freshman season, Smith elevated into one of the nation's best defensive backs during his sophomore year.
Smith totaled 61 tackles over 10 games, including eight for loss. He added two interceptions and five pass breakups, tied for first and second on the team, respectively, en route to being named a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) All-America second team, among other honors.
Potential replacements for the junior playmaker that Brown mentioned by name include an Arizona transfer, a veteran leader and a former junior college all-american -- each resulting in specific tweaks to the defense.
"We are definitely going to move them around; we've got guys that can play multiple spots," Brown said. "That spear position, just through the years, has been two different body types. We can move a third corner in there and play, or you can put your third or fourth safety in there and play."
"The spear is the edge of our defense to the field a lot, and a lot of plays get funneled out to them if you're playing a safety body," Brown continued.
"If we're playing more of a corner body than we change our coverage and we make somebody else the edge of the defense to the field, whether it's a mike linebacker, or we can drop our safety in there and he can be the edge to the field. We've got flexibility with our defensive calls."
The first player mentioned by name was Scottie Young, who came to West Virginia last season following three at the University of Arizona. He is seen as a potential frontrunner after he saw snaps at the position in the Liberty Bowl against Syracuse.
Alonzo Addae, one of the team's two starting safeties, ranked second on the defense last season with 66 total tackles. The redshirt sophomore is the closest to Smith in regard to production, having a near identical contribution of Smith with two interceptions and five pass breakups.
Jackie Matthews has the smallest amount of experience at the Division I level, transferring to WVU in 2020 following two seasons at the junior college level. He saw action in 10 games last season, totalling six tackles.
"The hope is all these guys that are returning will learn how to play the entire show," Brown said, "so we're going to continue to build as we go through."