Scottie Young's role in the 2021 Mountaineer defense has changed from a nice piece to the puzzle to key driving force in the overall machine. A three-year starter at the University of Arizona, Young transferred to West Virginia in May of 2020 with the thought that after sitting out the upcoming season, he would provide some badly-needed depth to a secondary that was facing significant graduation losses. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans? Those plans laid in the spring of 2020 have seen plenty of twists and turns ever since. Initially, it was expected that two of West Virginia's starting safeties, Sean Mahone and Alonzo Addae, both of whom were fifth-year seniors last season, would each need to be replaced.But then the NCAA declared that because of the uncertainties in dealing with COVID-19, the '20 season would not count against a student-athlete's eligibility clock. Mahone and Addae each decided to take advantage of the extra year and are returning to WVU this season for their sixth year in the college ranks. At that point, Young was viewed as someone to provide depth in the safety rotation, but then came another twist when the Mountaineers' starting spear safety Tykee Smith announced he was leaving via a transfer to Georgia. Suddenly Young's role greatly expanded, and he spent this past spring working with the first-team defense at the spear, which is a hybrid position that requires the coverage skills of a cornerback and the tackling ability of a linebacker. - Charleston Gazette-Mail