West Virginia may have found a real piece for the future in TaRon Francis, and it happened in a hurry.
The redshirt freshman wide receiver came into the Texas Tech game with no catches as a Mountaineer. By the time it was over, he had ripped off 169 receiving yards and a touchdown on just three receptions, easily leading the team in receiving production.
That kind of breakout doesn’t happen every day, and it gave the Mountaineers something tangible to build on as the season winds down. Francis flashed the kind of upside that can change how a depth chart looks going forward, especially with the final three games still ahead.
“Yeah, he’s slowly learning, he’s been working really hard in practice, and he’s making the most of his opportunity," Rodriguez said briefly at the end of his postgame press conference on Saturday.
There’s a reason this performance matters beyond one big afternoon. West Virginia does not have many proven wideouts lined up beyond Prince Strachan among players with eligibility left past 2026, so a young receiver stepping forward carries real value. The staff still figures to add help through the transfer portal this offseason, but finding a player already inside the program is a different kind of win.
Francis looks the part, too. At 6'1", 216 pounds, he has the frame of a future NFL receiver, along with the movement skills to separate and the strength to handle contact. With more chances, he should keep getting a longer look.
It’s also fair to keep the moment in perspective. One three-catch game doesn’t make anyone a finished product, and nobody should rush to crown him after one huge outing. But it absolutely was the kind of performance he needed, and the kind West Virginia needed to see.
A year ago, this was the sort of emergence the Mountaineers were hoping for during what felt like a lost season: somebody, or a few somebodies, to pop and show they could help steer the program forward. Francis has put himself in that conversation now, and with three, possibly four games left, the next question is who else joins him.
In Other News...
Mike Hawkins Jr. Is Giving West Virginia One Huge Reason To Worry
Mike Hawkins Jr. has already carved out a place in West Virginia history, and he did it in a way that should make the rest of the Big 12 take notice. Through nine games, he has broken Pat Whites school record for rushing touchdowns in a single season, giving the Mountaineers a rare kind of weapon at quarterback and adding another layer to an offense that has leaned on his legs as much as his arm.
The bigger concern for West Virginia is what comes next, because Hawkins is now positioned to chase a mark that would put him in even rarer company among quarterbacks outside the service academies. For a program trying to build real momentum, keeping a player like this in the fold matters just as much as the numbers he has already put up, and his future in Morgantown may end up shaping the Mountaineers future along with it. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs PFF Review Shows Who Carried The Offense In Texas Tech Loss
Pro Football Focus latest breakdown of West Virginias shootout loss to Texas Tech offered a clear snapshot of where the Mountaineers found answers and where they kept coming up short. Mike Hawkins Jr. drew strong marks for his passing efficiency, giving the offense enough life to stay in the game, while the offensive line had a rough day trying to hold up in pass protection.
On the other side of the ball, K.J. Henson and linebacker Isaiah Patterson stood out in a defense that had a few bright spots amid the chaos. The secondary, though, drew the harshest criticism for its positioning and its inability to finish plays, a familiar problem in a game that turned into a track meet and left West Virginia searching for more stability in the back end. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Just Made Rich Rodriguezs Rebuild Feel A Lot More Real
Rich Rodriguezs West Virginia rebuild looked a little more tangible after the Mountaineers went toe-to-toe with No. 15 Texas Tech in a close game that still ended in a loss. Even in defeat, there were signs this team is moving in the right direction, especially on offense, where the Mountaineers showed more life than they had earlier in the season.
The bigger picture now is whether that progress can turn into something more practical down the stretch. West Virginia still has Kansas, Houston and Utah left in the regular season, with bowl eligibility still in play, and the next stretch will say plenty about how far the roster has come. There are still defensive issues to clean up, but the rebuilding process already feels more real, especially with the transfer portal offering a chance to keep reshaping the team. [Read more 🡒]