ShaDon Brown Says WVU DB Beanie Bishop Has ‘Alpha’ Mentality

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Every football team needs some alphas. A player with an “alpha” personality is someone who can be a leader because he’s not afraid to be honest with his teammates and will set a tone others will follow and respect. According to his position coach, Beanie Bishop, one of the newest Mountaineers, embodies everything it means to be an “alpha” type player.

After calling Bishop an “alpha” while speaking with the media, WVU co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach ShaDon Brown went into detail about the impact having a veteran cornerback with Bishop’s mindset has had on the rest of the secondary.

“It was imperative that we found a guy who could lead and had an alpha male mentality. I didn’t know coming in he would be that this quick, I knew he had the traits about him. He’s going to hold them accountable and be accountable as well,” said Brown about the Minnesota transfer.

WVU Assistant DC ShaDon Brown labels Beanie Bishop “the alpha in the room.”

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) August 7, 2023

Despite having only one year of eligibility, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Bishop checked every box for WVU and was a player the Mountaineers knew they had to bring in once he became available. He carries with him something not every transfer player does, a road so well traveled that he’s seen it all in college football. Bishop is also a high character guy and has that “alpha” personality that West Virginia players noted was missing throughout last season.

Asti: Transfer DB Beanie Bishop Will Boost WVU Football in Multiple Ways

Bishop was with the Golden Gophers for one season, totaling 29 tackles (20 solo), one sack and one pass breakup while playing in all 13 games. Prior to Minnesota, Bishop spent four years at Western Kentucky, playing in 36 career games. This means he knows what it’s like to be the star of a team and also be a key member of a defense in a major conference.

His time in the Big Ten will create the possibility of joining safety Aubrey Burks as a leader for the WVU secondary, and maybe even Sean Martin as a leader for the defense as a whole.

Overall throughout his college career, he’s compiled 76 tackles (8.5 tackles for loss), 12 passes defended, three interceptions and one forced fumble. Bishop also returned 32 kickoffs for 799 total yards.

The arrival of Beanie Bishop has been infectious to the rest of the defense and something already making coaches confident they hit a home run, both on and off the field by adding him.