Season Preview: West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia is coming off head coach Neal Brown’s best season with the Mountaineers yet, after finishing the season 9-4. West Virginia is in a great spot to have another, if not even more stellar, year this year in the Big 12. Today, we’ll be doing a deep dive into both the offense and defense and will also talk about record and score predictions week by week for the remainder of the season. Let’s get into it.
OFFENSE
In 2023, West Virginia was one of the top rushing offenses in the country thanks to a stellar run game and impeccable offensive line work. There are a few things that need to be worked out in the passing game this upcoming season from veteran Garrett Greene, but I see him as a Heisman dark horse if he manages his passing better. The wide receiver room is also pretty young but has quite a bit of experience. Let’s break down each position.
Quarterback Room: Garrett Greene, Nicco Marchiol, Ryder Burton, Khalil Wilkins
I feel very confident that this is the best the room has been since Neal Brown has been Head Coach. Greene is coming off an electric season last year, where he threw for 2400 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding another 772 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. I genuinely think Greene has the capability to be the best dual-threat quarterback in the nation this year. He did have a measly 53.4% completion rate last year, and if he really wants to take the Mountaineers to the next level, he’ll have to improve that to at least the 60% range. Nicco Marchiol has been playing his best football since spring camp and well into this summer. Marchiol should be a reliable number two if Greene, for some reason, goes down with an injury. As for Ryder Burton and Khalil Wilkins, they both need to simply learn the system a bit before making their next jump in Morgantown. Overall, Garrett Greene is this team's leader, and however, he could be the deciding factor for the Mountaineers' success this year.
Running Backs: Jahiem White, CJ Donaldson, Jaylen Anderson, Diore Hubbard, Trae’von Dunbar
The Lightning and Thunder duo is back this year in Morgantown. White and Donaldson should help propel this team yet again to another great year on the rushing attack. Jahiem White is coming off an insane freshman season, where he averaged 7.7 yards per carry on top of 842 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, Donaldson, who is like a human bowling ball at 6’3 240 pounds, is coming off a season with 798 yards and 11 touchdowns. Both of these young men have the potential to put up either the same or even better numbers this year, with more experience coming back. CJ Donaldson, who originally committed as a tight end, had his first real year of being the starting back last season. However, I think this year, both White and Donaldson will split the snaps. They’re just both too good to feed one or the other. As for Jaylen Anderson, he has been a very reliable back his past two seasons in Morgantown and is looking to continue that role in this offense. Diore Hubbard and Trae’von Dunbar are coming in as true freshmen but could possibly see the field given their talent levels. I do fully believe this will be one of the best backfields in the nation this year and should be very explosive.
Wide Receivers: Hudson Clement, Traylon Ray, Jaden Bray, Preston Fox, Justin Robinson, Rodney Gallagher, Ric’Darious Farmer
This is a very exciting time as a Mountaineer fan when you look at this receiver room. This room is very deep and could turn out to be the best in Neal Brown’s stint. For starters, Hudson Clement had a very good freshman campaign last year, pulling in 480 yards and four touchdowns. Then there is Mr. Reliable, Preston Fox. Fox seemingly has magnets for hand anytime the ball is in his reach, and he put up a very nice 368 yards and two touchdowns last season. Traylon Ray is coming off an above-average true freshman year and could be an X-factor for this team, given his speed and length. My selection for breakout player of the year is Oklahoma State transfer Jaden Bray. Bray has been raved about within all of fall camp by coaches and seems to be set up as the top target for this year’s team; while at Oklahoma State, he mounted 686 receiving yards and four touchdowns. This is a guy the Mountaineers went out and heavily recruited due to how he played against them in Morgantown last season. As for Justin Robinson, the former four-star has had his fair share of experience at Mississippi State and Georgia. In that time, he was able to put up 601 receiving yards and four touchdowns, he brings a 6’4 220 pound frame to this room that is much needed. Rodney Gallagher was used last season on mini-jet sweeps as well as short passes. This season, as a true sophomore, the Mountaineers have taken the approach for him to see both sides of the ball at both receiver and cornerback. Last but not least, there is true freshman four-star receiver Ric’Darious Farmer. I’ve seen nothing but good things from coaches this off-season regarding his play. They believe that he will be one of the true freshmen who will be able to see the field early this year, given his twitchy play style and freakish athleticism. This looks like an incredible wide receiver room for the Mountaineers with Garrett Greene at the helm.
Tight Ends: Kole Taylor, Treylan Davis, Will Dixon, Greg Genross
Kole Taylor is coming off a year where he proved to be one of the best tight ends in the country. He was able to provide the Mountaineers with 444 receiving yards with four touchdowns to go along with it. There is no doubt he is by far the number one option for a tight end this season. Treylan Davis and Will Dixon both were used mainly for blocking last season and will likely continue that role this year. The biggest name to look for other than Taylor is Greg Genross. Genross was the number one JUCO tight end in the portal this season and brings major size to this position at 6 '6 and weighing 235 pounds. I can see West Virginia using him as a huge red-zone threat alongside Taylor.
Offensive Line: Wyatt Milum Brandon Yates, Tomas Rimac, Ja’Quay Hubbard, Nick Malone, Xavier Bausley, Johnny Williams IV
The Mountaineers yet again have one of the top offensive lines in the country. This is almost the same line that only gave up four sacks all of last season. Yes, four. The only problem is that they have to replace All-American center Zach Frazier and veteran guard Doug Nester, who both made their way to the NFL. Wyatt Milum is regarded as a first-round draft prospect and is coming off a great year last season. Brandon Yates is sliding into the center position and might not be as effective as Frazier was for the Mountaineers, but he can definitely provide great protection after years of experience on this front. Tomas Rimac will yet again be starting at left guard this year, where he had a very solid season as of last year. Ja’Quay Hubbard will be moved inside this year at right guard, replacing what the Mountaineers lost in Nester last year. The position battle on this line currently is at right tackle between Nick Malone and Xavier Bausley. Malone, the former walk-on, has been very solid up to this point in his career at West Virginia. Bausley, on the other hand, a sophomore who was an FCS All-American last season, transfers in and is looking to take over the starting role. Malone could have the spot locked up due to experience in the system, but this is a battle to continue to watch out for up until their game with Penn State on August 31st.
DEFENSE
Defensive Line: Sean Martin, Edward Vesterinen, Fatorma Mulbah, T.J. Jackson, Hammond Russell IV, Taurus Simmons, Asani Redwood
This is a very experienced unit this year and could be a huge factor for West Virginia in the trenches. Sean Martin is expected to be the team's leader this year, as he is the biggest name coming back on this defensive line. Fatorma Mulbah and Edward Vesterinen will both be starting in the interior and have proved to be very reliable. T.J. Jackson, the Troy transfer, will definitely be a factor, rotating in with Sean Martin. Asani Redwood and Hammond Russell IV will be rotating in with Versterinen and Mulbah, with Redwood poised for a big year this upcoming season. There are some true freshmen who could see the field this year as well, such as Makai Byerson and Nate Gabriel.
SPUR: Tyrin Bradley Jr., Ty French
These two are very good coming off the edge. Tyrin Bradley Jr. had a nice year off the edge last season, coming up with 2.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. The 255-pound edge rusher is looking to have an even bigger role than he did last season after splitting reps with Jared Bartlett, who has since transferred out. And now, looking at Ty French, he could have possibly been the best pickup in the portal this year for the Mountaineers. French played at Gardner-Webb during his previous collegiate years, where he broke the school record for sacks with 34.5 sacks and 61 tackles for loss. French is a huge speed threat off the edge, and it’ll be interesting to see if his game can continue at the Power Four level.
SPEAR: Aubrey Burks, Raleigh Collins III, Zae Jennings
Aubrey Burks comes in as the starter in this role, being a hybrid of both a safety and a pass rusher. Burks has been the Mountaineers’ best safety for two straight years now and is making the move to spear for the first time this year. With his natural ball-hawking ability and proven pass-rush skills, we could see Burks have another stellar year in this Mountaineer defense. The depth here is where things get interesting. Zae Jennings is an early enrollee true freshman who had a phenomenal spring and is continuing that through the fall. We could see him take over as the number two in this position and possibly get playing time.
Linebackers: Trey Lathan, Ben Cutter, Josiah Trotter, Caden Biser, Reid Carrico
This is probably the best we have seen this unit in years. Trey Lathan was on pace to have a very good year before suffering a season-ending injury in 2023 and is healthy this year. Ben Cutter stepped in for Lathan and made a name for himself as a true freshman and will surely see the field this season. The biggest name to monitor on this list is Josiah Trotter, brother of Clemson All-American and recent NFL Draftee Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Josiah steps in this year as a redshirt freshman. He was poised to play last year before suffering a torn ACL in camp. This year, however, he has shown in camp that he can be a day-one starter and leader for this defense. Caden Biser has played a bit over the past few years and hasn’t been too bad. Reid Carrico is a former four-star transfer from Ohio State, where he was never able to climb the depth chart. It’ll be interesting to see if he makes a name for himself and gets time in Morgantown.
Cornerbacks: Ayden Garnes, Garnett Hollis Jr., Jacolby Spells, Dontez Fagan, TJ Crandall
This will be an interesting position battle, as Ayden Garnes and Garnett Hollis Jr. have the most experience in this position. However, former four-star Jacolby Spells could be in for a big year this year. The junior has played in 21 games for the Mountaineers and has one interception to go along with a touchdown. Garnes could be the best transfer corner coming in for this team this year, whereas at Duquesne last year he had 11 pass breakups, two interceptions, and a touchdown to go along with it. Hollis is a fifth-year transfer from Northwestern, where last season, he had 49 tackles and an interception through 13 games. Dontez Fagan is transferring from Charlotte, and TJ Crandall is transferring from Colorado State. They could see the field in certain situations, but I don’t know how much exactly.
Safety: Jaheem Joseph, Josiah Jackson, Anthony Wilson, Kekoura Tarnue
Anthony Wilson, without a doubt, will be one of the starting safeties on this defense this year. He had a fairly solid year last year with a good amount of hard hits, 80 total tackles, and an interception. Jaheem Joseph makes a great case to start alongside Wilson. The fifth-year transfer, who also is from Northwestern, had three interceptions last season and started every game for the Wildcats. This brings a lot of experience to this secondary that is trying to compete for a title this year. Josiah Jackson and Kekoura Tarnue will be fighting for reps at either of the safety positions this season, where they very well could get playing time at some point this year. I do think this safety room has a lot of upside this season and could tremendously help the secondary.
Special Teams: Michael Hayes, Oliver Straw
Michael Hayes and Straw are back this year as kicker and punter for the Mountaineers. Oliver Straw had a solid season as the team's punter last year, averaging 43 yards per punt, and is looking to continue his success. Hayes went 17 for 21 on field goals last year and was 100% on extra points. He should have a solid senior year.
The Bottom Line
West Virginia could easily have one of the best offenses in the Big 12 this year and maybe even the country. As for the defense, there are a few question marks, but still seems very well filled out and experienced. This could be another successful year in Morgantown. Currently, most sportsbooks have the Mountaineers' win total at 6.5. I personally see them having a ten-win regular season. I think the only games they lose are at Arizona and at Oklahoma State. I think they end up upsetting Penn State in their week one matchup in Morgantown. I also see them going into Pittsburgh and throttling the Panthers. I think they get key wins against Kansas State and UCF at home and have a huge road win against Texas Tech to close out the year. This could be the year the Mountaineers make it to the College Football Playoff.
