West Virginia’s receiver room has two names that fit the old-school definition of earning your keep.
Armoni Bomar-Weaver and Cyrus Traugh barely saw the field last season, but both are suddenly pushing for real roles as the Mountaineers work through preseason camp and get ready for a key scrimmage Saturday. In a room that also includes DJ Epps, Jaden Bray and John Neider, the two holdovers are no longer just bodies in the background. They’re in the mix.
Traugh, in particular, has drawn plenty of praise from inside receivers coach Logan Bradley.
"Man," inside receivers coach Logan Bradley said, "Cyrus is a baller. Love Cyrus.
I love, love Cyrus. Love his demeanor.
Love his attitude. Love the way he's been going to work this camp.
Love him. Cyrus is my guy.
I love him to death."
That kind of reaction tracks with the path Traugh has taken to this point. He started at Youngstown State, redshirted in 2023 and then broke through in 2024 with FCS Freshman All-American honors after catching 36 passes for 409 yards and five touchdowns.
He made it through the spring semester in Morgantown in 2025, stayed with the program for the season and was brought back again for this year. In the spring, he was honored as the program’s top walk-on, and West Virginia has enough confidence in him to move him inside despite the fact that he’s listed as an outside receiver.
"The way he's been coming into work and putting his head down, his development from last year to this year, it's crazy," Bradley said. "I told some of my guys in my room, 'If y'all want to see somebody who's developed and bought in and grown, it's Cyrus. That's the mark you need to kind of chase.'"
Bomar-Weaver’s rise has followed a different route, but the same basic theme: show up, work, and force the staff to notice. He was a first-team all-state defensive back as a senior in high school, yet he still caught 26 passes for 541 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, he was on scout team before getting moved up to travel because the defensive coaches kept praising the way he worked.
"He was a guy last year who was on the scout team and then got moved up to travel because of the defensive coaches raving about how hard he worked," Bradley said. "In our program, if you work hard, that means something here. He got moved up because of how hard he worked."
Rich Rodriguez has also made it clear Bomar-Weaver is on the staff’s radar. The head coach said, "Armoni's going to play a lot of football for us" and added that he’s in the running for fastest player on the team.
Bradley said Bomar-Weaver has improved as a perimeter blocker and taken on other offseason responsibilities that could help expand his role. Rodriguez also said Weaver-Bomar "missed a little bit of time" after his father passed away, but he’s been "doing some really good stuff" since returning.
Last season, Bomar-Weaver played in three games and 23 snaps, while Traugh appeared in two games and logged 18 snaps. Together, they were on the field for 41 snaps and ran nine routes, with most of those reps coming in clock-killing situations.
That’s a long way from where they are now. Both players have gone from barely-there contributors to legitimate candidates for bigger jobs, and they’ve done it by doing exactly what the staff has asked.
In Other News...
Amari Latimer Is Giving WVU Fans A Reason To Feel Better
Amari Latimer has already done enough in spring and early fall camp to make West Virginia feel better about its backfield depth. The true freshman running back has drawn praise from Rich Rodriguez for both his performance and his physical tools, and the early buzz suggests he has moved well beyond the usual first-year learning curve. In a room that still runs through Cam Cook, Latimer has given the Mountaineers a younger option worth watching closely as the season approaches.
For WVU, the interest here is not just about a promising freshman making a few nice plays in camp. It is about whether Latimer can settle into a real role as the clear No. 2 back and give the offense a reliable second wave behind Cook. The projections around him point to a player who could be more than a change-of-pace option, and his style has already made him one of the more intriguing developments of the preseason, even if the real proof will have to come once the games start. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez Still Has One Unusual WVU Roster Decision Left
Rich Rodriguez is still waiting on NCAA clarity before he can lock in West Virginias 2026 football roster, with the biggest questions hanging over fifth-year players and transfers. For now, the Mountaineers are in a holding pattern, and the uncertainty has left enough room for a few late roster decisions to shape how the group comes together heading into the season.
One of those decisions already has a notable twist, with tight end Jacob Barrick opting to move into a coaching position rather than continue playing, while cornerback Jason Chambers has returned to the team. Rodriguez has also left the door open to more additions if the numbers work out, and the last few spots could still be sorted in an unusual way before the roster is finally set. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Football Finally Has A Better Shot To Keep Its Core Together
West Virginias football program is in a much better place than it was not long ago when it comes to keeping its roster intact, and athletic director Wren Baker said the schools NIL investment has grown enough to change the conversation. After lagging behind in that area, WVU has ramped up its budget and is now spending in the top half of the Big 12, a shift that matters as much for retention as it does for recruiting. For a program trying to build something durable, that kind of financial footing can make the difference between developing a core and watching it scatter.
Bakers comments point to a quieter but important part of the Mountaineers offseason: the effort to hold on to players the staff believes can shape the next wave of success. The school has already pushed the budget higher again with retention in mind, a sign that the emphasis is no longer just on catching up but on staying competitive for its own talent. For WVU, the challenge now is turning that improved position into continuity, and that makes the players expected to anchor the future even more valuable. [Read more 🡒]