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09 April 2010
MORGANTOWN - Jeff Casteel’s true worth to the West Virginia football program can’t be measured purely by the statistics his defenses produce.
Sure, West Virginia has had one of the better defenses in the country the last five years, the Mountaineers finishing eighth in scoring defense in 2007, 11th in scoring defense in 2008 and ranking seventh in total defense in 2007 giving up just 301.7 yards per game.
No, what makes Casteel so special is that winning is and always has been his No. 1 objective.
If that means helping out an offense battling youth and inexperience, so be it.
If that means defending half the football field because the kickoff coverage unit is struggling, so be it.
If that means working for an offensive-minded coach who wants to score from his own 3, so be it.
The bottom line for Casteel has always been getting one more point on the scoreboard for the good guys.
“Coach Casteel and those guys don’t get enough credit … they get it,” said offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen. “There has never been a complaint. It’s awesome, and to have the ability to rely on that is just wonderful.”
Casteel has always placed the betterment of team above all else and that’s why Mullen is so effusive in his praise of Casteel and his defensive staff.
“Our defense is a nightmare,” Mullen said. “I am so glad they are on our side.”
Casteel got his start on the small college level at Shepherd at a place where you not only learn how to coach, but more importantly, where you also learn how to improvise.
“Being at a small school where you have to adjust to what you’re going to have every year – not only that, but I’ve had to line the field and go home on the bus and wash the laundry,” said Casteel. “Doing that for 13, 14, 15 years I think that helps when you get to this level and you think, geez, this is pretty nice.”
Casteel says there are four things he looks for when searching for winning football players:
1. Speed
2. Toughness
3. Instincts
4. Smarts
“You’ve got a pretty good shot if a kid has those four qualities,” Casteel said. “We want a guy that can run because we are going to ask the kid to do a lot of different things. You obviously want a tough kid because he is going to be in on a lot of collisions and you want a kid who is smart enough because once they understand what they’re doing they can start to anticipate things and make plays.
“With instincts, I’ve heard a lot of linebacker coaches talk about coaching them for the first step and then God takes over. There is a lot of truth to that,” Casteel said.
Casteel pointed out that consensus All-American linebacker Grant Wiley played that way.
“A guy like Grant Wiley would do things and I would be like, ‘Grant, can you tell the other guys what you’re doing? Help us out a little bit.’ He was just a great football player and no coach is going to take credit for that,” said Casteel. "The great football players, a lot of them are born. Grant could really tell you exactly … he just knew.”
Johnny Dingle was another player with tremendous instincts.
“They couldn’t run a screen on Johnny Dingle,” said Casteel. “Johnny Dingle always knew when the screens were going on. I said, ‘Johnny, will you tell the other guys.’ He just had a sense about it. And Johnny could be on the other side of the field and he would get that screen. Some guys are just good football players.”
According to Casteel, even players with physical limitations can thrive if they know what they’re doing.
“It’s the ability to anticipate where you gain your step,” Casteel explained. “They can anticipate what is going to happen and a 4.7 guy can maybe play at a 4.6 or a 4.5. Just like a 4.5 guy can play like a 4.8 or a 4.9 guy because he doesn’t see what is going to happen and he is always two steps behind.”
