University football preps for first season after departure of longtime coach Kelley

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.(WBOY) — Eric Snyder is the new man at the helm for the University Hawks this season, and has put an emphasis on community involvement with the football team this season. But when it comes to what happens on the field, he has picked up a lot from years of coaching under John Kelley.

“[Kelley] was able to keep the practices light and a little bit more entertaining, but also to be stern at the right time when he had to,” Snyder said.

While this team is made up of a majority of underclassmen, along with having a new head coach, the Hawks are viewing it as a clean slate.

“It kind of gives us a chance to step back and look at the different things we want to do compared to last year, having a bunch of older guys, things that we could do better, things that we need to improve on. It kind of gives us a benchmark and we can go off of that and improve where we need to improve,” Jack Byer said.

Currently, University has a two-quarterback battle between Harrison Helbig and Jack Byer, but so far the offense is right where they want it to be.

“They’re doing a great job showcasing their individual skills and definitely we do have to fine-tune certain offensive styles to each one of them to make sure they can be the most productive on the field to help themselves and the team,” Snyder said.

“Everyone’s learning the plays really quickly. We’ve definitely taken the time to make sure everyone is understanding what it is they need to do. We have a lot of depth in our offense which is good,” Brock Kehler said.

“Our receivers are fast and they can catch, so no matter who is in at quarterback, we’re going to have weapons who are able to move the ball down the field,” Jack Byer said.

On the defensive side of things, they have full faith in defensive coordinator Stone Wolfely.

“We have some exceptional talent on the back end and a pretty strong front up front and I just think if they just listen to what he says, which we just reiterate exactly the technique he wants, then this team will be pretty successful,” Snyder said.

University has its first game on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.

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