West Virginia’s nostalgia trip is getting a little louder, and Kayden Luke is right at the center of it.
Rich Rodriguez spent plenty of time a year ago talking about wanting a fullback on the roster, and the Mountaineers finally landed one who looks built for exactly what this offense wants. Luke, an Arizona transfer listed at 5-foot-11 and 250 pounds, has already given WVU what it was looking for: toughness, a bruising style, and the kind of edge that fits the coach’s vision.
Then came the haircut.
Luke recently showed up with a flat mohawk stripe down the middle of a shaved head, a clear nod to Owen Schmitt and the kind of throwback energy WVU fans have been eating up. Social media, especially X, has already pushed Rodriguez’s second run in Morgantown as “Project 2005,” and the shoulder chips, glossy helmets, and now Luke’s look have only fueled that idea.
If Luke becomes even half of what Schmitt was, West Virginia’s run game should be in good shape.
Luke came out of Canyon Del Oro High School in Tucson, Arizona, and had plenty of options before choosing to stay home and play for the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona State, Hawai’i, Northern Arizona, South Dakota State, Southern Utah, UNLV, and others were in the mix, but the Wildcats won out.
At Arizona, he was used mostly as a run blocker, and that role figures to carry over in Morgantown. Still, there’s reason to think he could get some chances to carry the ball, especially in goal line and short-yardage situations.
His high school production suggests he can handle more than just blocking duties: as a senior, he ran for 2,307 yards and 29 touchdowns on 281 carries, averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. Over his high school career, he piled up 3,609 yards and 52 touchdowns on 451 rushes.
The Big 12 media is already expecting a strong season from him, naming Luke to the preseason All-Big 12 team alongside running back Cam Cook.
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WVUs Quarterback Future Suddenly Includes A True Freshman To Watch
West Virginias quarterback room already has some moving parts, and the picture only gets more interesting when you add the youngest names in the group. Transfer Mike Hawkins Jr. and sophomore Scotty Fox Jr. sit atop the current discussion, but the staff is also working with three true freshmen in Jyron Hughley, Wyatt Walker Brown and John Johnson III, which gives the position a longer runway than it might have seemed to have a few weeks ago.
Among that trio, Hughley has created the most quiet optimism inside the building because of how he is progressing in the read and RPO game. The staff believes there is a real chance he can spend this season pushing for backup duties, which matters in a room where the depth chart could keep shifting depending on how each quarterback develops and how the transfer market looks down the road. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Enters Fall Camp With Key Offensive Jobs Still Up For Grabs
Fall camp opens Wednesday for West Virginia, and the offense still has a few of the most important jobs to settle before the season starts to feel real. The projected depth chart coming out of spring gives a decent outline of where things stand, but it also shows how much of this group is still being sorted out by performance, experience and how quickly players can make a case in August.
Mike Hawkins is the name to watch at quarterback, while Josh Sapp gives the Mountaineers a familiar piece to build around at tight end. Even so, several spots remain in play across the unit, and the coming practices will go a long way toward showing which spring impressions stick and which ones get reshuffled once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Fall Camp Centers On One Position Battle Fans Need To Watch
Fall camp opens Wednesday for West Virginia, and with Rich Rodriguez entering his second year back in charge, there is already a familiar summer storyline hanging over the program: how the staff sorts out the tight end room. Ryan Ward, Josh Sapp and Cam Ball are all in the mix for playing time, and the group has enough intrigue to make it one of the early camp battles worth tracking as the Mountaineers begin the next phase of prep.
There is also some roster uncertainty beyond the position chart itself, with the possibility of a few members of the 2022 class returning to the program still in the conversation. Nothing official has been announced, and this remains more about projection than confirmation, but it adds another layer to a camp that already figures to be watched closely as West Virginia tries to settle key roles early. [Read more 🡒]