MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When the idea was brought up on Twitter, Ezekiel Rose loved it. A West Virginia fan had tweeted the 6-foot-2, 275-pound defensive end and told him he wanted to get the stadium to yell "Zeeeeeeeeeeke" when the big man made a sack for the Mountaineers. The idea could catch on once games start this season as Rose is working to perfect his pass rushing skills this offseason.
"We know we can't get it perfect but we're going to get it almost there and try to get certain moves for certain people to work on," Rose told reporters Thursday inside the team room at Milan Puskar Stadium. "We call it the toolbox. We want to reach into our own toolbox and get our main tools out that we'll use all the time."
That toolbox includes everything from dieting right to proper tackling and pass rush techniques to getting enough sleep at night. It helped Rose lead the West Virginia defense with 4.5 sacks last season.
Rose's story has been well documented. He started his collegiate career at East Mississippi Community College, where he played in 18 games and secured 6.5 sacks his sophomore season. He was considered undersized at 230 pounds then, having made the switch from tight end to defensive end, but West Virginia coaches fell in love with his personality, his attitude and the way he never gave up.
It was that mentality that kept him confident after making the jump from junior college to a Power 5 school, he said.
"It was the first practice," Rose recalled, referring back to his first time strapped up in West Virginia gear. "We went out and I was like, 'They put their pants on one leg at a time just like me.' We did the first rep and I thought, 'Man, this isn't much different. I can do all this stuff.'"
So Rose said he planned to soak up every bit of football that he could. He put on weight, he kept his motor revved up to 100 percent and he engaged his surroundings. The biggest part of that, he said, was just being coachable.
"That is one of the hardest parts for most guys here" he said back in the spring, "because it is hard to take coaching, taking what they say and how they are saying it. It's getting better for me."
Rose said he even makes sure he attends other sporting events on campus as to get the whole big-college experience. He interacts with the other athletes, the fans of all sports, and he does it with a smile on his face. He's hoping to be a good example that way.
It's the same way on the field, too.
"He is definitely a leader up front. He is a very vocal guy, high energy guy, always smiling and always doing stuff the right way," said defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. "We look to him for leadership and just playmaking. By the end of the year last year, he was one of our most productive guys up front."
Though he plays with so much intensity, Rose said he knows how to slow things down and figure things out about himself then work to get better. And at the same time, he's smart enough to know how to help others.
"I've seen guys stronger than me in certain parts, so I try to build on that part. I'm stronger in some parts than other people, so I try to give them pointers.," he said. "I was just trying to build and help others build, too."
Rose said that he didn't know he had as much strength and endurance in himself until late last season during the Oklahoma game, where West Virginia lost 59-31 in the regular-season finale. Rose said he found himself bringing more energy in that game than any of the previous 11 despite the loss.
Energy is something Rose said he will continue to bring in order to make this defensive line shine for the Mountaineers during his senior season.
"I feel like just bringing more energy to meetings and competitions and everything we do will help us in the long run."
