MORGANTOWN - On Tuesday, West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart welcomed a couple of former Mountaineer players - John Thornton and Charles Fisher - to Touchdown City.

This weekend, he's expecting a welcome addition to his team.

According to the coach, defensive end Tevita Finau is on his way.

"He's coming Sunday,'' Stewart said.

Finau, as most Mountaineer fans know by now, is a highly regarded defensive end who signed with WVU three times. He didn't qualify last year and went to junior college, then signed a junior college letter of intent in January - but didn't complete the requirements for his two-year degree in time to enroll that month.

The Hawaii product, though, is apparently good to go now.

It's part of what Stewart said has been a fine summer.

"We're having a good time,'' he said Wednesday. "Things are on course. And it's refreshing to know things are going smoothly. Our routine with [strength and conditioning coach] Mike Joseph has been good. Really good. [The quarterbacks] are passing the ball twice a week; they are throwing a lot. I hear good things. I never go out there, but the players tell me. I heard [Tuesday] night, they went through the script. Jarrett Brown took them, then went out and did more. Scored against the defense. And the defensive kids were getting after it.''

Stewart was absolutely effusive Wednesday. He pointed to defensive leaders Reed Williams, J.T. Thomas, Chris Neild, Scooter Berry and offensive leaders Brown, Noel Devine, Tyler Urban, Selvish Capers and Donnie Barclay. He pointed to the weight room work put in by the players.

"On Memorial Day, I came in here to meet with a recruit,'' Stewart said. "All but eight guys were here on Memorial Day. I can't tell you how good it is to know how hard they are working, how good they are running the law school hill, and how good they are bonding.''

Stewart smiled.

This weekend, he's expecting a welcome addition to his team.

According to the coach, defensive end Tevita Finau is on his way.

"He's coming Sunday,'' Stewart said.

Finau, as most Mountaineer fans know by now, is a highly regarded defensive end who signed with WVU three times. He didn't qualify last year and went to junior college, then signed a junior college letter of intent in January - but didn't complete the requirements for his two-year degree in time to enroll that month.

The Hawaii product, though, is apparently good to go now.

It's part of what Stewart said has been a fine summer.

"We're having a good time,'' he said Wednesday. "Things are on course. And it's refreshing to know things are going smoothly. Our routine with [strength and conditioning coach] Mike Joseph has been good. Really good. [The quarterbacks] are passing the ball twice a week; they are throwing a lot. I hear good things. I never go out there, but the players tell me. I heard [Tuesday] night, they went through the script. Jarrett Brown took them, then went out and did more. Scored against the defense. And the defensive kids were getting after it.''

Stewart was absolutely effusive Wednesday. He pointed to defensive leaders Reed Williams, J.T. Thomas, Chris Neild, Scooter Berry and offensive leaders Brown, Noel Devine, Tyler Urban, Selvish Capers and Donnie Barclay. He pointed to the weight room work put in by the players.

"On Memorial Day, I came in here to meet with a recruit,'' Stewart said. "All but eight guys were here on Memorial Day. I can't tell you how good it is to know how hard they are working, how good they are running the law school hill, and how good they are bonding.''

Stewart smiled.

"What a difference a year makes,'' he said. "The players know Mike Joseph and his staff. They know me and my staff. Before, we had some misfits who would not conform. I want one thing. It's very simple: Win with class.''

The coach praised the freshmen already in Morgantown: quarterback Gino Smith, cornerbacks Pat Miller and Brodrick Jenkins, slot man Tavon Austin, safety Jonathan Scott, linebacker Branko Busick and linemen Cole Bowers and Jordan Weingart. Wide receiver Logan Heastie, of course, has been in town since enrolling in January. "They are all hitting it hard," Stewart said.

As the Gazette's Dave Hickman first reported, WVU did lose junior college wideout Terrance Moore to eligibility issues. Stewart said on Wednesday that defensive back Brantwon Bowser, a redshirt sophomore, and special-teams senior Zach Flynt were also wrestling with issues. He expects, though, Bowser to make the grade for fall. (Overall, by the way, Stewart proudly points out that 87 of his football players had a 2.5 grade-point average or better last year.)

The coaches, meanwhile, have been in what Stewart calls the "bunker mentality.''

"Monday [we studied] Liberty,'' he said. "We have the breakdowns done. Everyone does a traditional three-game summer breakdown. We did them in May and June. Monday we talked about Liberty. What are we thinking? What is the plan? Tuesday was East Carolina. [Today] is Auburn.

"The [assistant coaches] have also worked on recruiting. We have 10 commitments that we feel very good about. Ten good young men. Everything we've done is the West Virginia way. Character with a blue-collar attitude. Integrity with a hard-work mentality.''

Assistant coach Bill Kirelawich set up the "surprise visitors'' in Thornton and Fisher, both former Mountaineers and Cincinnati Bengals. Fisher is now a Northeast scout for the Seattle Seahawks.

"Charles Fisher and John Thornton came by and talked to the players,'' Stewart said. "It was powerful. Everything we preach, John Thornton went over. Went through how to work, [how to stay away from] agents, girls, being in a fishbowl, being in a small town versus a big metropolitan city, what to expect, values. ... It was really good.''

Fisher, he said, let the Mountaineer players in on what NFL teams are looking for on draft day. He told them to listen to their coaches instead of agents.

"That,'' Stewart said, "is what summers are about.''

Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or follow him at http://twitter.com/MitchVingle.