WVU football coach Tyron Carrier affected by Hurricane Harvey

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: The West Virginia Mountaineers celebrate after defeating the Brigham Young Cougars at FedExField on September 24, 2016 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: The West Virginia Mountaineers celebrate after defeating the Brigham Young Cougars at FedExField on September 24, 2016 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Tyron Carrier has only been a part of the WVU football team for a few short months, but he is definitely now part of the Mountaineer family. His family is in our thoughts in prayers as they are recovering from the affects of Hurricane Harvey.

WVU assistant coach Tyron Carrier is a native of Houston and his family still resides in the area. He played for the Houston Cougars from 2008-11, so the area will always hold a special place in his heart.

Hurricane Harvey has dominated the national news headlines for the past weekend and the devastation and destruction is still ongoing.

Rescue crews from across the country have descended upon Texas to help in the relief efforts. The torrential rain seems to never end and there is more coming in the next few days.

That means a few more sleepless nights for Carrier, who can’t take his mind off his family and friends who are trapped in Houston and fighting for their lives. It’s a terrible situation that never really sinks in until it hits home.

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Carrier has an obligation to prepare his wide receivers for Sunday’s game against Virginia Tech. If he could, he would be with his family. But until he can be reunited with them, all of Mountaineer Nation should be thinking and praying for Carrier and all who have been affected by the hurricane.

"“It is crazy,” Carrier said in a media session on Tuesday. “My whole family is down there, my wife’s whole family is down there. We have family members that had to get rescued. We have a couple of them in hotels. It is just crazy. I have friends sleeping on the top of roofs. It is crazy. They are in my prayers, a couple of sleepless nights for me. It happens, it is crazy.”"

It seems like Carrier has taken his mind off the situation. He wants to move forward and can’t dwell too much on the unfortunate circumstances. Getting himself and the team focused this game week may be therapeutic for someone who has so much going on.

It had to have been scary for Carrier when he couldn’t get full direct contact from his family members. Phone lines have been down and communication has been hard with the weather still making it difficult to have a normal pace of life right now.

“The first couple of days I didn’t hear from a couple of them,” Carrier added on Tuesday. “Right now, everybody is ok. They are ok.”

A win on Sunday would make things a little easier for Carrier. It will be a little weight off his shoulders after such a trying week. But in these kind of situations, football and sports take a backseat. Lives have been in danger and we all should be thinking of ways we can help.

That’s when football can come into play a little bit. Last year, when many parts of southern West Virginia were ravaged by terrible flooding, some native sons stepped up to help out. Alabama coach Nick Saban and Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, who both hail from north-central West Virginia, donated goods and equipment to help youth football teams who had their fields and facilities damaged by the waters.

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It’s safe to say college and professional programs from around the country will help out with money and other services to get Houston-area football programs back on the right track.