When a new coach takes over a program, there are going to be plenty of changes made.
That new coach will bring in the staff and begin to oversee switches in the culture of the team just as much as there might be any changes in the style of the team's play. For a West Virginia State football team that hasn't had a winning season since 2008, that's exactly the type of process that first-time head coach John Pennington and his coaching staff have been going through during this first offseason in Institute.
"Anytime that you have a change in leadership, the culture around your program is going to change," Pennington said. "The way that I do things is going to be different from the way that Jon Anderson did it even though we have a lot of similarities. There are just different personalities when you deal with new staffs coming in and taking over."
Of course, there are a few factors playing into Pennington's hand as he looks to bring that energy into the program. The first is the fact that the Charleston native was part of the program for the last few seasons as the offensive coordinator. During that stretch, the Yellow Jackets have grown into one of the Mountain East Conference's best passing teams and have seen progress on that side of the ball every year.
Then comes the fact that West Virginia State brings back several starters on offense and defense, and will have a handful of veterans who have been around the program for a while and will help the younger players buy in and get on track for what they're aiming to do.
"It's hard to put a value on how much those guys mean to us," Pennington said. "They carry on your culture throughout the team, they show the young players the way to act and how we want them to be. They understand what kind of mindset that we're looking for and can pass information along to their teammates a little more effectively than me or the other coaches can sometimes on different things. That's especially big over the summer."
Pennington said West Virginia State had 55 players on campus this summer going through workouts and preparing to get started for the start of preseason training camp.
Having players together like that helps them build the type of chemistry that the coaches are hoping to see from the group and has given the young players who are coming into the team for the first time a chance to experience firsthand what they are going to need to do in order to break into the rotation and start earning playing time. The WVSU coach said having the younger players around, plus seeing the veteran leadership from the upperclassmen, has brought an infectious energy into the locker room as the team has been working out in the offseason.
"It's been fun to watch the freshmen come in and see the older guys walk them through how we do things," Pennington said. "[The freshmen and newcomers] are kind of like me in a way because we're both coming in with a rookie mindset in a way where they're fresh, they're so excited and are willing to do anything that we tell them to do and they're open to being molded into the players that we want them to be so that they can be as successful as they can be here."
Quarterback Matt Kinnick returns to the Yellow Jackets for his third season as the program's signal-caller while running back Dionta Brown had more than 1,000 all-purpose yards in 2016 and wide receiver Quinton Gray was among the MEC's most consistent pass catchers at 102.9 yards per game.
Having those players back to lead the offense, along with defenders like Kevin Coffie and Ayinde Warren and some newcomers that the coaching staff thinks highly of, WVSU is eager to hit the field for the start of camp in a week.
"We are feeling really, really good about where we're at. The guys are home now and getting ready to come back. We're excited to get this year started and get camp underway," Pennington said. "That attitude is contagious. We're all ready to start a new era."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.