3 Guys Before The Game

A major personnel move for the WVU offensive line has Josh Sills taking over at center. That change will create a domino effect that will have big implications for Neal Brown's first offense. Just how loaded is the Mountaineers opening opponent James Madison? The guys talk with WVU grad and James Madison beat reporter Greg Madia for an inside look at the defending FCS national champions. It's the...

Week two of Mountaineer football camp is underway and Neal Brown is hoping for significant improvement. The team's Saturday scrimmage was less than impressive, but the Mountaineer head coach says there's still time for significant improvement. The guys breakdown the opening days of practice and look ahead to a very important week of workouts that will culminate with a second and final preseason sc...

The Vegas boys have established the line for West Virginia's season opener against James Madison. The fellas are surprised to say the least. Neal Brown is dealing with his first significant discipline situation following the arrest Jovani Haskins. Offensive lineman Mike Brown wore something no other Mountaineer has ever worn to Thursday's media session. What was he wearing? Those stories and more...

Mountaineer coach Neal Brown was not happy with his team's fourth practice of the preseason. Brown's disappointment was not directed at one player or unit, but rather it was a collective disappointment involving everyone including players and coaches. How the Mountaineers respond in Tuesday's first practice with equipment will determine if Monday's workout was an aberration or a signal of things t...

At age 83 Don Nehlen remains intimately linked to the game of college football. True, it has been 19 years since he last coached a game, but West Virginia University's all-time winningest coach continues to be a priceless fountain of information on the game's past and its future. Nehlen will forever be recognized as the architect who ushered in a golden era of WVU football. With midwest principles...

Bob Huggins recently said that sophomore Emmitt Matthews is West Virginia's most improved player. Most Mountaineer insiders agree with the coach. Matthews combination of size, athleticism, and positive personality have quickly elevated him to a key role in the upcoming season. Matthews rise to prominence has included life changing moments. The death of an older brother to cerebral palsy provides m...

A recent survey among Three Guys Before The Game listeners made it quite clear that the guest they would most like to hear from was Rich Rodriguez. It has been nearly twelve years since his departure from West Virginia University, but his tenure in Morgantown is still often the topic of conversation. In the years which have passed Rodriguez has made stops at Michigan, Arizona, and now serves as of...

The preparation has begun for West Virginia's entry into The Basketball Tournament also known as the TBT. Co-host Nathan Adrian is a member of Best Virginia. Nathan joins Brad Howe and Tony Caridi for an inside look into the preparation and expectation for the upcoming event. Adrian explains the challenges facing the team and why he wanted to be involved. Does Best Virginia have enough backcourt s...

There's never been a two-part edition of Three Guys Before The Game until now. One episode with longtime football coach Bill Kirelawich just wasn't enough. In part two, the veteran coach reflects on numerous topics including WVU's national championship appearance against Notre Dame, the magic of WVU's 1996 defense, and Rich Rodriguez's future as a head coach. Kirelawich's legacy at WVU will always...

If there were a Mount Rushmore of WVU assistant football coaches, Bill Kirelawich would be a unanimous selection. He is colorful, opinionated, and one-hundred percent Mountaineer. After declining interviews over the last several years, he's now ready to talk and reflect on a career which includes many of the greatest wins in WVU football history. On this first part of a two part conversation Kirel...

Some of the most talented WVU basketball players over the last decade are teaming together to take a shot at winning two million dollars next month. Known as Best Virginia, this group of familiar names and faces are beginning to practice in Morgantown. They'll play a series of exhibition games in West Virginia before opening tournament play in Richmond, VA. On this episode, team general manager Jo...

How did WVU's Alek Manoah go from a high school junior without a single college offer to the 11th overall pick in last week's MLB draft? It's a question that only Alek can reveal. On this episode of Three Guys Before The Game, Alek tells Brad Howe and Tony Caridi about an improbable journey from South Florida to Morgantown. You'll learn how a combination of faith, determination, and confidence led...

The journey Teyvon Myers took to become a Mountaineer and now a professional basketball player is one of the most circuitous you'll ever hear. He attended six different schools in a span of seven years. His aggressive attitude, which today is his greatest asset, also was his greatest weakness as he grew up. In an in-depth conversation with Brad Howe and Tony Caridi, Myers tells his mercurial story...

In a world that lives on self-promotion, Mike Joseph is an outlier. West Virginia’s Head Coach for Football Strength and Conditioning admits he’s much more comfortable in the background. He’s happiest when the athletes he trains are in the spotlight performing at a level they would have never imagined. He was hired by Bill Stewart and retained by Dana Holgorsen and Neal Brown. That’s not the way i...

She was too young and too naive to know any better. Nikki Izzo Brown admits starting the WVU women's soccer program in 1995 was done more by bravado than blueprint. Her ultra competitive nature spread quickly, and in its inaugural season WVU defied the odds and finished with a winning record. That was simply an indication of things to come. The Mountaineers have become a perennial top-25 program a...

Devastated is the word Larry Harrison uses to describe his emotions after learning his college basketball career was being cut short. Instead of stepping back Harrison pushed forward. His love for the game launched a coaching career that includes conference championships, NCAA tournament bids and two trips to the Final Four. West Virginia's current associate head coach provides the details of a ca...

West Virginia University Director of Player Personnel Brian Bennett may be a newcomer to West Virginia, but he saw Pat White in action long before any Mountaineer fan. Bennett, a native of Mobile, Alabama, watched White play in high school and played for White’s high school coach.  He has multiple connections in the football world that eventually led him to WVU. Today Bennett is entrusted with ove...

What grade does WVU basketball player Jordan McCabe give himself after a tumultuous freshman season? A solid "F" according to the popular Mountaineer, who quickly offers the grade with no desire for sympathy. McCabe's harsh personal assessment is just one of many topics discussed during his first ever visit with Brad Howe and Tony Caridi. From his days as a nationally known dribbling phenom to his...

Gary Jennings' ascension into an NFL wide receiver is the story of goal setting and determination. Many kids dream about becoming a professional athlete, but Jennings reverse engineered the process starting in elementary school. The perfect combination of athleticism and intelligence has allowed him to become one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2019 draft. Brad Howe and Tony Caridi go deep...

You may know David Long as a ferocious hitting linebacker that concluded his career at West Virginia as the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. However, there's so much more to his story which includes living with his high school football coach from ninth grade until his graduation. In this episode, Brad Howe and Tony Caridi learn how Long's upbringing fueled his determination to overc...

Neal Brown's first spring practice season is now complete. What did we learn? It's obvious Mountaineer Nation is intrigued by their new head coach as the third largest attendance in spring game history was recorded. But what about next season's team? It's clear the search continues for playmakers to offset the graduation losses of five players who will likely be drafted later this month. Brad Howe...

Former Mountaineer John Thornton left home when he was in the seventh grade to attend The Scotland School for Veterans Children. The now defunct school made Thornton mature beyond his years. That maturity led him to become a standout college football player, a 10-year NFL veteran, and now a prominent agent with Roc Nation sports which was founded by performer and entrepreneur Jay-Z. John joins Bra...

Trevon Wesco's dream of playing in the NFL is about to become reality. How did it happen? Wesco's story is filled with obstacles and challenges, but he never relented in reaching his goal. Brad Howe and Tony Caridi join Trevon as he describes a journey that's made him the most sought after tight end in the upcoming draft. From Musselman High School to West Virginia University and now the NFL. A de...

The Mountaineers have passed the midpoint of spring practice drills. Evaluations continue, but it’s becoming obvious that Neal Brown’s debut season will involve building and patience. So what’s a realistic win total? Hoppy Kercheval, Brad Howe and Tony Caridi offer the take of Mountaineer Nation and make predictions on the 2019 campaign. The guys also jump into WVU’s basketball matchup with Saint...

David Sills' football career is one of the most unique in West Virginia history. The middle school quarterback prodigy successfully navigated unprecedented hype and unexpected disappointment, to become one of the nation's best wide receivers. Exactly how was he able to flourish when others would have folded? The affable and articulate Mountaineer joins Brad Howe and Tony Caridi for an in-depth loo...