West Virginia’s 2026 football media guide came out Tuesday morning ahead of Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, and one familiar omission still stands out: freshman running back SirPaul Cheeks is not on the roster.
Rich Rodriguez again chose not to include a preseason depth chart, just as he didn’t last year, and that appears likely to remain the norm going forward. The roster itself is there, as usual, but Cheeks is still missing from it.
That doesn’t make his absence permanent, though. WVU’s enrollment deadline for domestic freshmen is August 1 for the fall semester, and with fall camp set to open in a few weeks, the picture around Cheeks should become clearer before the Mountaineers take the field for the first practice.
Cheeks’ path to campus has already been complicated by injury. He tore his ACL in mid-October, ending his senior season at L.C.
Bird High School early. Even so, he signed with West Virginia in December after choosing the Mountaineers over offers from Appalachian State, Ball State, Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Delaware, East Carolina, Kentucky, Liberty, Minnesota, Old Dominion, Pitt, South Florida, Temple, UConn, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and others.
On the field, Cheeks brings the kind of burst that can change a drive in one touch. He’s a small, slippery runner who can break off a long gain at any moment, with speed that shows up not just in a straight line but when he’s cutting and keeping his pace through the move. Even if he is healthy, this would still likely be a developmental season for him, though he could carve out a role as the fourth back.
The top of the depth chart looks clearer. Amari Latimer is expected to be the main backup to Cam Cook, while the next layer gets more interesting. Chris Talley, another true freshman, showed some promise in spring ball and is, without question, the fastest back in the room.
If Cheeks does arrive and is ready to go, it probably won’t cut into Talley’s snaps right away. Talley has already been on campus for several months and has earned a level of trust from the staff.
Still, Cheeks’ absence would matter. West Virginia’s backfield depth is already going to be tested by a lack of experience, and after the injuries the Mountaineers dealt with at the position a year ago, every body in that room counts.
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Now Latimer is back with coaches he knows, which matters in a program that has leaned on familiarity and versatility in the secondary. After stops at Jacksonville State and Wisconsin, he arrived in Morgantown with a chance to settle into a role that fits his skill set, and the expectation is that he will work at nickel back. For West Virginia, that kind of adaptable defender can be especially useful, and Latimers journey suggests he may be ready to make the most of it. [Read more 🡒]