“We could sit around and cry and whine about it. But it’s not a position we’re real deep at right now. It’s not a great situation but that’s what football is, guys. In football, you’re going to have injuries and you have to overcome them.”In the short term, the lack of depth and experience in the secondary will get a boost as those young guys get more reps. There should be a lot of raw talent there and I imagine Smart will have a keen eye on their progress while Parrish is on crutches healing that tender foot.
But in the long term, with uncertainty and now an injury to a key starter, we should definitely be worried about our secondary unit opening up against a team that likes to chunk the rock around. Taylor Lamb is a senior quarterback for the Mountaineers and he'll bring a squad of shifty, athletic, and TALL receivers.
Parrish has experience, but the younger guys behind him have more the height you'd like to see at this level. Kirby and staff have been recruiting it, hard. Tyrique McGhee is largely believed to be the first guy behind Parrish. McGhee brings some game experience and will certainly be counted on regardless of whether Parrish makes it back for the opener or not. But I'd bet these freshmen step up to show what they can do.
At least I hope so. Because an injury can be a setback. But it can also be an opportunity. Is Parrish's injury just a chance at some more reps in shells? Personally, with their talent and size, I'd love to see someone like Speed, Brini or Poole step up and earn some actual playing time.
