It already is obvious that West Virginia State quarterback Matt Kinnick has some of his signal-caller job down pat. A sophomore season average of 280.4 passing yards a game - the best in the Mountain East Conference - is plenty of evidence.
Yet the junior admits there are other areas of quarterbacking where he can still improve. He heads into the 2016 season working to bring those aspects up to the level of his arm.
That arm got plenty of work last year. Kinnick also led the MEC in completions and attempts and finished the year with 3,084 yards and 20 touchdowns against nine interceptions. They were impressive numbers, but there were other numbers Kinnick wishes were larger - specifically in the win column.
He thinks he can help add to that column by becoming a leader with his voice as much as his arm. He admits that, in past seasons, he stepped back and let the upperclassmen around him step up vocally. Now he knows that it's his turn.
"Years before, when I was younger, I kind of let the older guys do it," Kinnick said. "Now I'm one of the older guys, so now it's time to really step into that role."
WVSU coach Jon Anderson said he and the other coaches have talked to Kinnick about vocal leadership for a while. Anderson feels Kinnick has come into his own in that regard this preseason.
"You need that from your quarterback. He's always had this capability. He has it in him and he just needed to find a comfort level with us, a comfort level with his teammates to be able to do that.
"He does it in subtle ways," Anderson added, "especially on the field. When he's running the offense, you see it."
It's not an easy task, trying to play amateur psychologist with the 10 other offensive players on the field, plus the many others on the sidelines who could rotate into the game. It hasn't been an instantaneous process, but for Kinnick, it has been an enjoyable one.
"You just feel it out, get a feel for the guys and their personalities," he said. "You find out what buttons you have to push with certain guys to get that going. It's been fun. I have a lot of help from the coaches. They give me a lot of people to listen to, motivational speakers, to get an idea how to adapt to each guy."
Kinnick has found a comfort zone in the Yellow Jackets' offense, and Anderson would like to see that comfort lead to his quarterback taking a few more calculated risks. Anderson considers the 6-foot, 195-pound Kinnick an extremely coachable player. Football coaches would love to have entire rosters with that personality. But if something breaks down on the field, he wouldn't mind Kinnick just playing football and offering a little improvisation.
He doesn't want the St. Clairsville, Ohio, native to be reckless, but he would like to see the junior take a couple of chances when the opportunities arise.
"Yes, the read says check down," Anderson said. "But if you have faith in your guy and you know he's going to be somebody, let's put it up there a little bit."
With as many yards as State gained through the air last year, the weapons are there. Kinnick would like to cut down on turnovers - WVSU gave up 18 last season - and he wants the team to reach a new level in the MEC, a task he feels the Yellow Jackets are ready to accomplish.
"We really have to take a big step this year," Kinnick said.
Contact Derek Redd at 304-348-1712 or derek.redd@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @derekredd.