Zac Alley Shares Why Relationship With God Helps Him as Coach

Realizing he’s under fire, WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley spoke openly about how he’s been handling the past few weeks. And in addition to discussing his plan to fix the defense and why he believes he’s still the right man for the job, Alley also opened up about something personal.

Alley referenced his faith and relationship with God to the media on Tuesday. He even revealed that he spent t time with the pastor that married him and his wife after West Virginia’s most recent loss, a 52-31 defeat to Arizona that saw the defense allow 482 yards and 45 points to the Wildcats.

Alley admitted being able to take comfort in prayer and a personal conversation with his pastor, who was in town visiting, helped him refocus and stay grounded following another game he would like to forget.

But Alley also knows his defense needs more than prayer to get back on track, highlighting his actual plan during the same press conference.

For starters, he made it clear that nobody’s starting role is safe.

“I told everybody, like, it’s an open job. I mean, ain’t nobody solidified as a starter. We weren’t good enough to say you got 11 starters out there. So we’ll try and put the guys that are the most athletic guys we can to give us an opportunity in positions that we feel like they can be successful,” Alley said.

Alley also emphasized simplicity in light of the possibility of making changes to the defensive personnel with an upcoming game Saturday.

“We’re trying to get our best 11 on the field,” Alley said. “So move some guys around, figure out where they are, and then try and be as simple as we can this week with still having the ammo to go win the game.”

Even with his frustration at an all-time high, Rich Rodriguez still believes in his defensive staff, namely Alley. Just three days after labeling a question about Alley’s job “fair” and leaving the door open to consider a change in play calling, Rodriguez offered his public support for the higher ranking coach on his staff.

“He did a really good job at Oklahoma as a d coordinator and those were against some pretty good teams in the SEC,” said Rodriguez before referencing Alley’s past success and track record of turning rough patches around.

However, Rodriguez knows what’s happening in games is unacceptable and needs fixed fast. He said he had a 4.5-hour long meeting with his defensive staff on Sunday as they work towards that fix.

Find more coverage of Zac Alley and the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.