Published: August 22, 2008 11:50 pm         

Mountaineers free safety Sands ready as true freshman

MORGANTOWN — Robert Sands is listed as the only true freshman on defense who will play in West Virginia’s 2008 season opener against Villanova a week from today at Mountaineer Field/Milan Puskar Stadium.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound free safety from Opa-Locka, Fla., will play behind Eain Smith, a 6-0, 195-pound redshirt freshman from Miramar, Fla. Defensive end Julian Miller is the only other freshman in the defensive two-deep.

Jeff Casteel, WVU defensive coordinator, has no doubt whatsoever that Sands is ready to go in the first game.

“He has really progressed,” he said. “He’s a smart kid and a great athlete. We’re really pleased with him. He has a lot of ability, but he’s going to make a lot of mistakes as a young guy.”

You can thank Doc Holliday, WVU’s associate head coach, for getting Sands to cast his lot with the Mountaineers.

“Doc was recruiting me for Florida,” Sands explained. “Pitt was recruiting me at the same time.

“So when Doc left Florida, I decided to go to Pitt. After my visit to Pittsburgh, he called me and said the head coach (Bill Stewart) wanted me there as a Mountaineer. So I came up here for a visit and really liked it. I watched a lot of film and liked the WVU defense.”

Sands thinks it gives players some freedom to run around and make plays. He obviously took to learning what to do and proceeded to show in preseason scrimmages that he’s capable of making plays.

“I think I’m ready to do it,” he said. “There’s lot of room for improvement, though. In high school I had more game experience than most of the players as a junior and senior. So I had to make a lot of calls and got everybody lined up.

“Right now it’s pretty much the same, except I lack game experience. If I don’t do my job, the whole defense won’t work. They run around and do a lot of different stuff. In any defense, you’ve got to come in and learn and there are adjustments you’ve got to make.”

However, Sands emphasized it’s a whole different game in NCAA Division I-A football.

“Everyone is faster and stronger,” he said. “At first I was impressed seeing them on the field.”

Sands played strong safety and free safety at Miami Carol City High School. He was credited with 60 tackles as a senior. The Miami Herald named him to its all-state second team and also to the Dade County Top 25.

He runs a 4.54-second 40-yard dash and bench presses 265 pounds.