Post by WVUfanPHILLY on Aug 15, 2007 14:51:15 GMT -5
Secondary will keep on giving for two seasons
MORGANTOWN — Many West Virginia football fans are upset that ex-Mountaineer assistant coach Rick Trickett left for Florida State.
But understand one thing.
He left behind quite a nice parting gift.
A gift that may keep giving for the next two seasons.
See, Trickett recruited Ellis Lankster to West Virginia from Jones County (Miss.) Junior College. And when the Mountaineers line up against Western Michigan on Sept. 1, Lankster may be a starting cornerback.
Of late, Lankster and Larry Williams have been with the starting defense in place of Antonio Lewis and Vaughn Rivers.
“We rotate,’’ Lankster said on Tuesday, “but I’m mostly with the ‘ones.’ ’’
WVU fans know the secondary is the unit needing the most help after last season. The Mountaineers finished 109th nationally in pass defense. But the West Virginia coaches had been working on landing Lankster before that performance.
“Out of high school, Coach Trickett knew I wouldn’t qualify [academically],’’ Lankster said. “But he told me he’d come and get me when I graduated from junior college. That’s what he did.’’
Lankster, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, is from Whistler, Ala. He attended Mobile’s C.F. Vigor High, where he had a super senior season.
“The problem was, I knew I wouldn’t qualify because I played around my freshman and sophomore seasons [academically],’’ Lankster said. “I had a good senior season and everybody started recruiting me. But by then it was too late.’’
So off to Jones County (Miss.) Junior College he went. There, he continued to show athleticism, putting down a school-record 98-yard interception return for a score. He blocked four field goals.
And all the schools that were interested in Lankster out of high school were back.
“I had Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kansas, a lot,’’ Lankster said. “Oregon joined the mix, but they had too many cornerbacks on the roster. There was Arizona . . . a whole bunch.’’
But WVU won on the strength of Trickett’s homespun approach and the promise of immediate action.
“They told me they needed more depth at cornerback,’’ Lankster said. “They liked the way I played man-to-man press and zone. Then, once I saw them on TV, when I saw Pat [White] and Steve [Slaton], I knew I could help them win a national championship.’’
No, by the way, Trickett didn’t try to steal Lankster away to Florida State.
“He was calling me every night, trying to get me here,’’ said the corner. “Then, when I found out he was leaving, Coach Trickett said I still made a good choice coming here. He said this is a good program and it was the best decision for me.’’
So far, he’s right.
“Here, it’s mostly zone,’’ Lankster said. “It was hard in the spring, coming from a man system, trying to learn the zone. But Antonio Lewis helped. He showed me how to open my hips. Now it’s kind of second nature.’’
The competition from the wideouts has helped as well.
“In junior college, we had some athletes,’’ Lankster said. “But guys here like [Dorrell] Jalloh make you work. I’m keeping up with them fine, though.’’
That’s because he’s blessed with speed.
© Copyright 1996-2007 The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN — Many West Virginia football fans are upset that ex-Mountaineer assistant coach Rick Trickett left for Florida State.
But understand one thing.
He left behind quite a nice parting gift.
A gift that may keep giving for the next two seasons.
See, Trickett recruited Ellis Lankster to West Virginia from Jones County (Miss.) Junior College. And when the Mountaineers line up against Western Michigan on Sept. 1, Lankster may be a starting cornerback.
Of late, Lankster and Larry Williams have been with the starting defense in place of Antonio Lewis and Vaughn Rivers.
“We rotate,’’ Lankster said on Tuesday, “but I’m mostly with the ‘ones.’ ’’
WVU fans know the secondary is the unit needing the most help after last season. The Mountaineers finished 109th nationally in pass defense. But the West Virginia coaches had been working on landing Lankster before that performance.
“Out of high school, Coach Trickett knew I wouldn’t qualify [academically],’’ Lankster said. “But he told me he’d come and get me when I graduated from junior college. That’s what he did.’’
Lankster, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, is from Whistler, Ala. He attended Mobile’s C.F. Vigor High, where he had a super senior season.
“The problem was, I knew I wouldn’t qualify because I played around my freshman and sophomore seasons [academically],’’ Lankster said. “I had a good senior season and everybody started recruiting me. But by then it was too late.’’
So off to Jones County (Miss.) Junior College he went. There, he continued to show athleticism, putting down a school-record 98-yard interception return for a score. He blocked four field goals.
And all the schools that were interested in Lankster out of high school were back.
“I had Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kansas, a lot,’’ Lankster said. “Oregon joined the mix, but they had too many cornerbacks on the roster. There was Arizona . . . a whole bunch.’’
But WVU won on the strength of Trickett’s homespun approach and the promise of immediate action.
“They told me they needed more depth at cornerback,’’ Lankster said. “They liked the way I played man-to-man press and zone. Then, once I saw them on TV, when I saw Pat [White] and Steve [Slaton], I knew I could help them win a national championship.’’
No, by the way, Trickett didn’t try to steal Lankster away to Florida State.
“He was calling me every night, trying to get me here,’’ said the corner. “Then, when I found out he was leaving, Coach Trickett said I still made a good choice coming here. He said this is a good program and it was the best decision for me.’’
So far, he’s right.
“Here, it’s mostly zone,’’ Lankster said. “It was hard in the spring, coming from a man system, trying to learn the zone. But Antonio Lewis helped. He showed me how to open my hips. Now it’s kind of second nature.’’
The competition from the wideouts has helped as well.
“In junior college, we had some athletes,’’ Lankster said. “But guys here like [Dorrell] Jalloh make you work. I’m keeping up with them fine, though.’’
That’s because he’s blessed with speed.
© Copyright 1996-2007 The Charleston Gazette
