Phil Steele didn’t hold back when sizing up West Virginia’s running back room.
On the In the Gun Podcast this morning, Steele put WVU’s backfield right at the top of the Big 12 alongside Texas Tech, and his case centered on the kind of depth and upside the Mountaineers have built after a complete overhaul.
West Virginia added the nation’s leading rusher, Cam Cook, plus JUCO back Martavious Boswell and a freshman class that includes Amari Latimer, Chris Talley, Lawrence Autry, and SirPaul Cheeks. Cheeks is the only one not currently on the roster, and that situation is being monitored through the summer.
Steele pointed first to Cook, but he made it clear the room is more than one name.
“Cam Cook, a big part of the equation, coming in from Jax State, but there are other players. You look at (Amari) Latimer, the true freshman coming in - he’s a big guy. He’s 228 pounds, and he already moved up to No. 2 in the spring.
"And with JUCOs, generally, when you bring in a JUCO, it’s a two-year process," he continued. "The first year is a learning year, and you get better as the year goes on.
Now, the thing that I found is that at the skill positions, like running back/wide receiver, you can bring a JUCO in and have them competitive his first year, and that’s what I’m looking for out of (Martavious) Boswell. He’s a guy that’s got great speed, great ball skills, and had 1,000 yards at JUCO last year.
I like the depth that they have. Now, they do have to develop that depth to get them ready for the field, but I like what they have in Latimer and Boswell behind Cook.
This is probably one of the most upgraded running back cores in the country."
That kind of praise lines up with the buzz already building around Cook and Latimer. Cook looks like a clean fit for this Rich Rod system, while Latimer has the kind of frame and profile that makes people around the program believe he can be special.
He’s also the only other back in the room with college snaps, even if those came at the junior college level. If Boswell can give West Virginia the change-of-pace punch and big-play juice the staff expects, the Mountaineers could have a backfield that keeps defenses on their heels.
Latimer isn’t being labeled a lock, but the word around him is strong. And if Boswell settles in as a real third option, West Virginia should be able to lean on the run without blinking.
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The harder part is knowing where the floor and ceiling really sit once the schedule tightens and the roster is tested deeper into the fall. A respectable year would mean reaching a bowl and getting to eight wins, but the path there is far from smooth, especially with the back half of the slate looming as the place where this season could either stabilize or slide. For a team trying to climb while expectations rise around it, that makes the next few months feel less like a rebuild and more like a referendum. [Read more 🡒]