Zac Alley’s Bold Defensive Moves Could Change the Game—But What’s His Next Surprise?

“No job has been earned yet; no job is safe. And everybody’s kind of mixing in between the ones, twos, and threes right now and seeing who can help us and who can’t,” he said.“Just always trying to encourage that mindset that every play, it’s everything you’ve got from the snap of the ball to the end of the whistle,” Alley said.

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West Virginia coordinator Zac Alley believes the defensive unit that he is overseeing this fall is certainly ahead of the one he coached in the spring.

Some of that comes with bringing more talent into the roster to compete, as well as the natural development that occurs with a good summer of strength and conditioning.

The Mountaineers have a standard every practice of trying to force at least three turnovers each day and it’s something that the coaching staff holds them accountable for each session.

Look, when it comes to building a defense that not only competes but dominates, West Virginia’s defensive coordinator Zac Alley has every reason to feel a surge of confidence heading into the fall season. The unit he’s molding today isn’t just a minor step up from what he coached this past spring – it’s a whole new caliber of performance, one fueled by fresh talent on the roster and honed by the kind of grueling strength and conditioning grind that separates contenders from pretenders. Now, the real challenge is narrowing down who’s ready to answer the bell and whose spot is still up for grabs. Alley’s not sugarcoating it: “No job has been earned yet; no job is safe.” The mantra this season? Relentless effort. Every snap, every whistle—this team is being drilled to swarm the ball and punch it loose, pushing turnover creation front and center. It’s that fiery blend of fierce will—70 percent hustle and 30 percent technique—that Alley preaches is the key to tipping the scales toward victory. And trust me, in football, turnover margin is the heartbeat of winning. West Virginia isn’t just talking the talk; they’re chasing at least three turnovers every practice, setting a relentless standard that keeps the squad on edge and primed for battle. So, buckle up because this defense isn’t just ready to play tough—they want to rewrite the script. LEARN MORE

But now, it’s about sorting through those options.

Causing turnovers is a major focus for the West Virginia defense and that boils down to what Alley believes is 70-percent effort and 30-percent technique.

One of the biggest talking points has boiled down to effort. Alley and the rest of the coaching staff have preached every day about running to the football and making plays to outwork the opposition.

“They hear us talking about it and you win the turnover margins it’s the number one indicator of winning,” Alley said.

That hasn’t just been spoken either, as Alley has been able to show examples of his former stops as well as at the NFL level of the backside defender running across the field and punching the ball out, among other things.

“You have to try and strip the ball or put your hand on the ball or do something to cause a turnover. But a lot of times, it’s just the will to get there,” he said.