| 31 July 2012
EERinsider continues with it's Player Spotlight Series with linebacker Terence Garvin. Coming off a successful 2011, Garvin is returning for his senior season following knee surgery back in December.
For the Mountaineer defense to excel this season, Garvin will be looked upon to provide balance and leadership in the new 3-4 defensive scheme.
Garvin played at Loyola Blakefield High School (Md) as a 3-star recruit, and had offers from WVU and Maryland.
He was coached by Brian Abbott and was a Maryland Consensus All-State team as a defensive back. He had the opportunity to play in the Maryland Crab Bowl, the state’s all-star game.
As a senior, Garvin finished with 32 tackles, a forced fumble, and one recovery. During he time at Loyola, he was apart of three MIAA Class A Conference 
Championships.
He arrived as a freshmen in 2009 and played under Jeff Casteel's 3-3-5 defensive stack.
Garvin played in 10 games in 2009 and recorded 10 tackles for the season.
In 2010, he started all 13 games and had a solid season.
Garvin finished with 76 total tackles, including 41 unassisted, one sack, 4.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He had a season high 10 tackles against Coastal Carolina at home.
Last season he started in 11 games, missing the Cincinnati and Clemson games.
He ranked 13th in the Big East in total tackles and 4th on the team in sacks (3.5). Set career highs and had game high honors against Pitt with nine solo tackles and 14 total tackles; also had a game high five solo stops and one tackle for loss.
As big as his Pitt game was, most fans will remember his interception return for a touchdown at Maryland. He talks about that below.
Now entering his senior season, Garvin looks to bounce back from a knee injury that kept him out of the Discover Orange Bowl against Clemson.
Garvin had surgery on the knee back in December and was forced to miss the entire spring.
With the 3-3-5 stack gone and a new 3-4 scheme now in place, co-defensive coordinators Joe DeForest and Keith Patterson will look to Garvin to provide leadership to a new defensive making the move to the Big 12.
Although Garvin has missed time, he has already made the move from the secondary to the STAR lineback position.
WVU will look to bring pressure from all sides as they try to confuse opposing Big 12 quarterbacks.
Strengths of the 3–4 include speedy insider linebackers and outside linebackers in pursuit of backs in run defense and flexibility to use multiple rushers to confuse the quarterback during passing plays without being forced into man-to-man defense on receivers. Most teams try to disrupt the offense's passing attack by rushing four defenders.
The move to the STAR position will allow Garvin to roam and try to help counter the spread attacks the Mountaineers will face this season.
Garvin will kickoff his senior season on September 1st at Milan Puskar Stadium against Marshall in the Friends of Coal Bowl.
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