West Virginia Football: 5 Most Important Redshirt Freshmen and Transfers

Redshirt freshmen and transfers can make huge impacts on any team, and that will be the case for the 2012 West Virginia Mountaineers. With the conference change to the Big 12, WVU will have to compete with perennial recruiting powers such as Oklahoma and Texas.

These teams are deep at every position on the field, and the more hands on deck for WVU the better.

We all know how tough the WVU offense is, particularly bringing back nine starters including the dynamic trio of Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. One challenge that will be vital for success in the 2012 season will be the depth of this team, and that is where redshirt freshmen and transfers have the opportunity to make a huge impact.

After sitting out a season,and learning the nuances of the system (except for the defensive players who switched schemes), young players have a great opportunity in front of them.

Here is a list of players about whom we may have forgotten a bit because they sat out the 2011 season.

Dante Campbell

Campbell has the chance to make an impact this year, and as he showed in the spring game he can make plays. He is coming off of a spring game in which he had four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. 

At 6'4", he has ideal size for a WR, and he will make yet another great target for star quarterback Geno Smith. With standout receivers such as Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin both being undersized, Campbell is a nice tall target for Smith.

I look for Campbell to be used similar to how former WVU receiver Bradley Starks was used last season. This freshman has a much higher ceiling than Starks, and he will be a player to keep an eye on come fall.

Isaiah Bruce

If you didn't know Isaiah Bruce, well now you know. This young linebacker had a heck of an outing at the spring game, and in the Big 12 you better believe he cracks the rotation on defense.

He had a team-high eight tackles in the Blue and Gold game, and helped lead the defense to victory in the contest.

With the move to the 3-4 scheme under co-defensive coordinators Joe DeForest and Keith Patterson, it will be the young guys who benefit most from this move. Veterans that have been here for a few years have to start from scratch, and now the young guys have a better opportunity to compete.

Keep an eye on Bruce this fall.

Terrance Gourdine

Is that another Miramar Patriot on the Mountaineers? You better believe it. 

Gourdine, a transfer from Eastern Michigan made an excellent first impression on WVU fans in the spring game, particularly with his 82-yard TD reception from fellow Miramar-native Geno Smith.

Gourdine, a 2-star recruit according to rivals coming out of high school, also had offers from the likes of Kansas State and Wisconsin to go with West Virginia. He was arguably the biggest standout on offense during the spring game and he had a game-high 118 yards receiving with that long TD reception.

Mark Glowinski

The Mountaineers looked to Lackawanna Junior College for this talented prospect. He joins another former Lackawanna Falcon and current WVU linebacker, Josh Francis on the Mountaineer roster.

Glowinski has great size at 6'5" and 290 pounds, and he can play several positions on the offensive line for the Mountaineers. He adds great depth to the o-line, and as we saw last season with the injury to Josh Jenkins, you can never have enough depth in the trenches.

Terrell Chestnut

Chestnut, a native of Pottstown, PA has the tools to be very successful in a Mountaineer uniform. He has solid size and great speed, and at 5'10" and a sub 4.50 in the 40-yard dash, he has all the tools you like at corner.

In a passing league like the Big 12, teams need quality depth at defensive back, and Chestnut is going to have plenty of opportunities in 2012 after redshirting a year ago.