Prince Strachan Could Change Everything For West Virginias Passing Game

Coach Rodriguez outlines wide receiver Prince Strachan's path to recovery and the promising season ahead as he joins West Virginia's offense.

West Virginia wide receiver Prince Strachan is finally back at full speed after the shoulder injury he picked up in the spring game, and Rich Rodriguez said the transfer just received the green light to practice without restrictions.

Rodriguez said Strachan had been working through the injury for a while, but only recently got cleared to go full. “(Special Teams Coordinator) Pat (Kirkland) coached his brother, who was a great player for him at Charleston, so we had a relationship with the family.

We tried to get him before, and he went to USC. He’s been banged up, but he just got cleared.

He was one on the flip side, and it was just from the shoulder from the spring, and he just got cleared a couple days ago, so he’s been practicing full. He’s a big body, an experienced guy.”

That connection runs through Strachan’s brother, Mike, who starred at Charleston with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to finish his career. Mike’s production and NFL Combine testing helped push him into the seventh round of the 2021 draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He later spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders.

For West Virginia, the expectation is that Prince Strachan will settle in as the starting ‘X’ receiver this fall, assuming he stays healthy. At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he brings the kind of size that jumps off the page, but he’s not just a jump-ball option. He can work the middle of the field, handle the quick game and show enough twitch to separate despite his frame.

Strachan’s path to Morgantown hasn’t been clean. An ankle injury at USC slowed him last year, and he never climbed back up the depth chart in a loaded receiver room. The injury kept him from fully cashing in on what looked like a promising opportunity, but West Virginia still sees him as a major piece of the passing game.

If he’s right, Strachan gives Mike Hawkins a big target on the perimeter, and pairing him with Jaden Bray gives the Mountaineers two imposing receivers to work with on the outside.

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