WVU DC Jordan Lesley Feels Defense Needs to Perfect Fundamentals

MORGANTOWN, W.Va – If the West Virginia defense is going to get back up to a competitive level, it’s going to do it by perfecting the fundamentals.

Many may feel it goes without saying, but WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley felt it absolutely needed to be said, maybe even as a message to his players. Lesley feels the Mountaineers need to get back to focusing more on the fundamentals of the game. He then elaborated on this while speaking with the media after WVU’s first practice of the Spring on Tuesday.

WVU DC Jordan Lesley brings up fundamental again and hints to players being out of position as why the defense allowed too many explosive plays in 2022. He kept saying “do your job” during this answer.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) March 21, 2023

“We probably should’ve focused on them more last year at this time,” Lesley admitted. He also kept repeating “do your job” in his answers when referencing what went wrong last year, which prompted a need to elaborate on what he was actually meaning and who he felt did not do their job. Lesley then clarified he was referring to players being out of position as a contributing factor to the explosive plays allowed by the defense. He did make sure to take blame himself, saying he did not always have players in the best position to succeed, although that was often forced by injuries.

Perfecting the fundamentals might be easier said than done due to the inexperience and lack of depth on the defensive side of the roster, something Brown and Lesley both noted and mentioned looking to a veteran like Sean Martin to step up as the new leader of the defense with a starter type role this coming season.

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Even though head coach Neal Brown did give Lesley a vote of confidence after the defense struggled throughout most of the 2022 season, Lesley knows he’s under the most pressure of any assistant coach to get his group turned around, and possible facing the most heat of anyone involved with the program other than Brown himself. Another lackluster performance by the defense, regardless of the reasons, will likely mean the end of Lesley’s tenure in Morgantown.