West Virginia’s wide receiver room looks different, and that alone makes it one of the more interesting groups on Rich Rodriguez’s roster heading into 2026.
There’s a lot of turnover across the team, but the pass-catching group is where the newness really jumps out. That kind of overhaul can usually leave a coach wondering whether there’s enough proven talent, enough depth, and enough players who actually fit the system. Rodriguez, though, sounded encouraged by what he has to work with.
“The wide receiver room, I think, has got a chance to show the most improvement," Rodriguez said at Big 12 Media Day. "Jaden (Bray) being healthy to start, DJ Epps, who’s played, is very productive, and John Neider, those guys are highly productive guys at wide receiver.
I think we’ve got more experience, even though it doesn’t look like we’ve got more experience. We’ve got more experience at wide out than we’ve had.”
Epps brings the most explosiveness to the group. That showed up during spring ball, when his ability with the ball in space stood out. His lone year of production at Troy shouldn’t be mistaken for a limitation; he has the kind of playmaking ability that can change a game in a hurry.
Bray remains one of the most intriguing names in the room. West Virginia fans have been waiting to see him fully healthy after hearing strong reports about him for the last two years, only to watch a foot injury slow him down.
A couple of years ago, he was making difficult catches in fall camp and flashing the kind of ability that looked like WR1 material. Rodriguez thought he would be that guy a year ago before the injury hit in Week 2.
If Bray can stay on the field this season, the passing game could take a major step forward.
Prince Strachan is another name to watch, even though Rodriguez didn’t mention him in that quote. He has 578 yards and three touchdowns on 37 catches across two seasons at Boise State, then moved on to USC, where an ankle injury and missed time cut into his role. He made several big plays throughout camp and is expected to be fully recovered from a shoulder injury he suffered in the spring game.
The rest of the group expected to compete for snaps includes John Neider, TaRon Francis, Armoni Weaver-Bomar, Keon Hutchins, Kedrick Triplett, and Cyrus Traugh.
In Other News...
BYU Just Landed In The Middle Of A Wild Big 12 Debate
A recent On3 Coaches Poll offered a pretty clear snapshot of how wide open the Big 12 feels heading into the season, and BYU came out as the choice most coaches trusted to win the conference. That alone says plenty about the leagues balance of power, especially with Texas Tech, Utah, Houston, Arizona and Iowa State also drawing support in a vote that seemed to spread confidence around rather than concentrate it.
For West Virginia fans, the broader takeaway is familiar: there is no consensus answer in this league, only a cluster of teams with enough talent and intrigue to keep the conversation moving. The poll underscored just how unpredictable the Big 12 can be from year to year, with coaches clearly seeing a conference where the title race could tilt in several directions before it ever reaches the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rod Just Said What Frustrated WVU Fans Have Wanted Heard
West Virginias place in the Big 12 has long come with a built-in headache: the travel, the geography and the sense that the Mountaineers are often fighting uphill just to keep old regional ties alive. At Big 12 Media Day, Rich Rodriguez leaned into that frustration and put a cleaner frame around what many WVU fans have been saying for years, pushing for a future realignment built around regional groupings that would make the league feel a little more like home.
Rodriguez also floated a broader fix for the sports money problem, arguing that Power Four schools should pool TV revenue into one large package and spread it more evenly. The idea fits the same theme as the regional reset, but it is still more vision than reality, with the current conference and media setup unlikely to change quickly and the bigger college football revenue model still very much an open question. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Is Making One Last Exception For Pat Whites No. 5
West Virginia is planning a long-awaited salute to Pat Whites No. 5, with a ceremony set for Sept. 5, 2026, during the season opener against Coastal Carolina. The tribute will come as part of a White Out, giving the program a fitting stage to recognize one of its most iconic quarterbacks while finally moving toward an official jersey retirement.
The timing, though, comes with one last wrinkle before the number is taken out of circulation. Head coach Rich Rodriguez announced the plan, and the university has opted to delay the formal retirement for another season, leaving one more chapter to play out before No. 5 is permanently set aside. [Read more 🡒]