Zac Alley finds his defense, clarity emerges late in camp

As training camp winds down, West Virginia’s defensive coordinator Zac Alley found what he’s been waiting for— clarity. 

After weeks of installation, evaluations and repetitions, the Mountaineer defense has settled into form. Alley indicated its beginning to click for the team.. 

“Early on in camp, it can be overwhelming sometimes with all the new things,” Alley said in a press conference on Friday. “As you get on the back half, it starts to slow down for everybody.”

The slowdown is not due to a lack of effort. Instead, it’s about understanding the system and execution. For a defense learning a new system, the shift in tempo is essential. 

“I think our executions with the guys who are more expected to play… the older guys… have been much improved,” Alley said. “I was encouraged by that today.”

Training camp is about installing schemes, but also finding who will contribute on the field and needs more time to develop. With a few more practices before kickoff, the coaching staff is still in evaluation mode. 

“We’ve got to figure out… who are the guys who are going to help us this season, and who are the guys that may be on the scout team,” he said. “At least for the first couple of games, we’ve got to narrow in the reps.”

Evaluations don’t end after camp. Alley said every season tends to bring a few surprises. Players who start on the scout team can find a contributor gameday role in the season. 

“Maybe due to injury, due to maturity… a player gets called up to game seven, game eight, and plays pretty well for you down the stretch,” he said. 

Alley’s approach to building a defense is not judged by raw ability. It’s about grading constituency and production.

“If two guys are grading the same way, the one that’s more productive, he plays,” Alley said. “Sometimes, they’re more talented physically. Sometimes that’s a faster processor. So it’s a combination.”

As the season approaches, Alley has confidence in the team and himself. 

“I’ve never gone into a game thinking, ‘Man, I’m going to give up 50 today. I hope we score 100,” he said. “I think I can shut anybody out any given week if we do what we’re supposed to do.”

His belief does not come from optimism. It comes from seeing the steady build of a group that’s starting to understand the system and themselves. 

“I think almost everybody’s gotten better,” Alley said. “We’ve raised our level of play.”