Time for Hogan to adjust
West Virginia’s Brandon Hogan
“No more body parts,” Orzono Robinson declared to those still in line who were waiting for an autograph from the former Osbourn High School football standout and current West Virginia University star.
“No shoes” either Robinson implored.
Well, at least he tried, even if the kids ignored Robinson’s pleas and kept asking Hogan for his signature on their forearms or on the side of their sneakers instead of the blue sheets of construction paper that were available.
But their reaction was understandable. Here was a real-life college football player from a big-time Division I program willing to spend some time with them, even to the point of throwing the football around outside. How could they not be caught up in the moment? Encounters like this don’t happen every day.
Robinson, who works at Union Mill Elementary School in Clifton and is Hogan’s cousin, had been trying to schedule this for awhile when an opening came up last Friday and Hogan was able to make it.
It was Hogan’s final stop during a tour of three schools he made last week before heading back to college Sunday.
Dressed in a West Virginia jacket, Hogan took time with each of the 75 boys and girls who came through the line, asking them their name and doubly important asking if they had permission to have a shoe or an article of clothing signed.
As he got to the front of the line, one boy wasn’t sure and turned to Robinson and asked: “Should I call my parents?” The boy then departed in search of a phone.
A girl said she wished she had worn her good shirt to be signed, while another boy was content to have the side of his black sneaker signed, even though Hogan warned him that the black-ink signature would not be seen.
Hogan had no set agenda when he visited the three schools during school break, stops that also included Round and Baldwin elementary schools in Manassas. He let the kids ask questions, many of which impressed him.
On Friday, he was asked about the scar he got underneath his eye. (He told them he was hit there by a rock when he was young). He was also asked what it feels like to come out of the tunnel into the stadium.
“I never had this when I was their age so I like them to come up to me and let them see me and see that they can do whatever they want,” Hogan said.
This past season testifies to Hogan’s fortitude, from starting in a new position to watching from a hospital bed West Virginia’s 31-30 win over North Carolina Dec. 27th in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C.
Hogan, who made the trip to Charlotte, would not elaborate on the unspecified illness that kept him out of practice all week as well as the bowl game. He would only say he was sick.
But as he watched the game on TV from his hospital room with Osbourn head football coach Steve Schultze by his side, Hogan said he was touched by the way his teammates remembered him, in particular senior quarterback Pat White, who in the post-game celebration, held up Hogan’s jersey number (22) in front of the television cameras.
“That made me feel better,” Hogan said.
It was a challenging season for Hogan, who was switched to defensive back after playing wide receiver in 2007. Hogan had signed with West Virginia, hoping he might get a chance to play quarterback. But the quicker route to immediate playing time was at slot, where as a true freshman he caught 12 passes for 67 yards.
But with the Mountaineers needing a cornerback this season, Hogan’s size and speed made him a good candidate. West Virginia coach Bill Stewart left the decision up to Hogan, who agreed to try it.
He’d have to learn fast as he adjusted to running backward instead of forward and looking to make a hit rather than running to avoid the tackle.
In his first game at cornerback, a position he had never played before until this season, Hogan got beat on a third-down play that allowed East Carolina to get a crucial first down. Although disappointed by the outcome, Hogan picked up some valuable advice from his teammates and coaches.
“They just said, ‘You have to have a short memory and keep working hard,’ ” Hogan said.
He did. Even though Hogan knew he would be tested constantly, he absorbed all that he was taught.
Crediting his development to assistant David Lockwood, a former West Virginia defensive back himself, Hogan was a quick study and eventually became a starter. He finished the season with three interceptions, including two in a game against Connecticut.
“That felt great, like I was on offense and scoring,” Hogan said.
More comfortable in this position, Hogan now has other incentives to stay at cornerback, beyond just meeting a team need.
“I was told that I might have a better shot at the pros,” said Hogan. “I watch the NFL games and see the defensive backs and think to myself, ‘They are not doing anything I can’t do.’ ”
Hogan is not opposed to staying on defense or moving back to offense if needed. There’s also talk he may return punts and kickoffs next season. That’s fine as well.
As long as he can help out wherever he can, he will be content.
It’s a perspective he carries whether he’s playing in front of tens of thousands of fans or facing a clamoring group of elementary kids who want nothing more than a handshake and a signed shirt, parent permitting of course.
David Fawcett is the sports editor of the News & Messenger. Reach him at (703) 878-8052 or at
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