MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — True freshman Ben Cutter was already a factor for West Virginia when the Mountaineers were involved in a close contest at TCU back on September 30.
During the fourth quarter of that game, linebacker Trey Lathan suffered a serious injury that brought what had been a promising redshirt freshman campaign to an abrupt end.
With it, Cutter assumes the role of mike linebacker and is set to make his first start at 7 p.m. Thursday when West Virginia plays at Houston.
“You have to prepare every week like you are the starter, so that once you get in, you’re ready,” Cutter said.
A native of Denver, N.C., Carter has 12 total tackles and a tackle for loss, which he recorded in his first home game against Duquesne. In the Mountaineers’ 24-21 triumph over the Horned Frogs, Cutter was credited with two solo stops and four assisted tackles.
“There’s not really time for nerves because you have so much to think about, get aligned and knowing your assignment,” Cutter said. “You don’t have time to really think about how you’re feeling. You just go out there and do your job.”
Last year, as a senior at East Lincoln High School, Cutter posted eye-opening statistics en route to helping his team capture the 3A state championship. He finished with 193 tackles, two sacks, eight tackles for loss and four interceptions.
“The way our defense was set up in high school, they really couldn’t run away from me. I was in the middle of the field and we had two stack linebackers on either side of me,” Cutter said. “Everybody’s job was basically to box in and get everything back to the inside. If everything is funneling to me, I’m going to make a lot of plays in high school.”
During his recruitment, Cutter gave consideration to Appalachian State and Louisville, though a trip to Morgantown was his only official visit.
“I’d go to App State and you look at their players and they’re just not as developed as some guys you see at the Power 5 level, especially here at West Virginia with our strength staff that does a great job,” Cutter said. “I knew coming in here, I could definitely be the best player walking out that I could possibly be at any program.”
Yet after playing last season at 213 pounds, he was down to 205 upon enrolling early at WVU in January.
“I had been sick right before I enrolled early, probably like two weeks before,” Cutter recalled. “I had the flu and I was pretty sick, so I lost a lot of weight.”
Cutter quickly worked to add weight and did just that, getting up to 225 pounds during his first month with the program.
Now, a rotational defensive player that’s also been a factor on special teams becomes a pivotal part of a defense that enjoyed a successful September. Only Penn State has surpassed 21 points among West Virginia’s first five opponents.
Cutter believes enrolling early has been beneficial during his transition.
“I had plenty of time for things to start slowing down for me, so I feel I was pretty prepared going out for my first snap,” he said.
One of the more challenging adjustments has been learning to have more responsibility in pass coverage, something Cutter rarely had to do in high school while thriving as an aggressive linebacker.
“That was probably the toughest part,” Cutter says. “I was a downhill linebacker in high school and loved fitting the run. We really didn’t have too many coverage rules. Coming in here and learning all the different things you have to see, the different adjustments you have and the different types of coverages we play was a huge adjustment for sure. Coming in early helped me adjust to the game.”
While WVU may not have envisioned Cutter as a starter this early in his career, defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley doesn’t sound overly concerned and believes it’s imperative he do his part to put Cutter in spots to succeed.
“The No. 1 thing, Ben plays the game the right way. He plays fast and physical,” Lesley said. “Just like any freshman, no matter when you start playing or how much you start playing, there’s always a learning curve. We have to keep him in good situations and good positions and Ben will be fine.”
Along the way, the newcomer to college will look to make the most of his extended experience while keeping Lathan on his mind.
“He came in the other morning me and we were in a linebacker meeting and we all went down and talked to him,” Cutter said. “He seemed in good spirits. It was nice to see him and see him smile.“
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