Last year, Cole Bowers was sitting in the stands as a spectator at the state basketball championships. He remarked to the group he was with that he didn’t want to be a spectator when he came back.

Corner Michael Coats Jr. lined up on the line for the 40-yard dash at West Virginia football’s Pro Day. He set his feet in the down start, raised his hand and was off. Coats ran through the cones past ...