West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez spent about 15 minutes with the media after Monday’s practice, and the conversation leaned heavily toward the defense, especially the players up front.
Rodriguez said the Mountaineers are leaning on Corey McIntyre and Nate Gabriel as the main experience in the front group after losing a couple of graduated players. He pointed to a mostly new bandit/edge room, but said there are still proven names in the mix, including Zeke Campbell, Harper Holloman, Jeremiah Johnson and David Afgoho. He also singled out Tobi Haastrup, the Oregon transfer, as “an extremely talented young guy” with “a great future.”
Another name Rodriguez highlighted was junior college transfer Darius Wiley, whom he described as having “a huge upside” and a strong work ethic. He said Wiley “can be an impact player for us,” and added that the group has a mix of talent and experience.
Rodriguez also made clear he still believes in the junior college route, saying players from that level may be getting overlooked as schools chase more veteran portal additions. His message was simple: “Let’s just find the best players we can find.”
He said West Virginia will keep recruiting junior college players because there are still good ones available.
On special teams, Rodriguez said DJ Epps is set to handle punt returns, with Armoni Weaver and Cryrus Traugh also in the mix. Matt Sieg is expected to catch punts as well.
Kickoff returns are still a tougher call, and Rodriguez said that remains the hardest part of special teams to sort out. He admitted he’s not sure he’s ever gone live on kickoffs in preseason, calling it “such a crazy play,” but said the team has enough talent to make it work.
He also gave a brief read on the quarterbacks, and the picture is decent but not spotless. Rodriguez said there have been stretches where the group has been uneven, with quarterbacks holding the ball too long or failing to read the field fast enough.
They are still, in his words, learning “to quit looking at our guys and start looking at their guys more often.” Even so, he called it “a pretty solid group.”
Rodriguez closed by touching on several younger and newer defensive pieces. He said true freshman Yendor Mack, from Harrisburg, “is going to be a really good player.”
Will LeBlanc is dealing with a minor injury but is still expected to contribute. Taylor Brown, whom Rodriguez described as an athletic player with a chance, has been around the program.
Jaylen Thomas, a junior college addition, and KJ Henson both bring size and potential, though Rodriguez said they are still adjusting to Division I, Power Four football. Even so, he said both can help the Mountaineers if they keep working the way they have.
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