Mountaineer fans have every reason to believe this fall can be something bigger than a normal good year.
The roster has a different kind of pop to it now, and it starts in the backfield. Cam Cook arrives after leading the nation in rushing last season with 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns at Jacksonville State.
That alone would change the outlook for an offense. Add true freshman Amari Latimer, who ran for 2,171 yards and 40 touchdowns as a senior at Sandy Creek High in Georgia and owns the school’s all-time rushing record, and the room starts looking unfair.
Latimer flipped from Wisconsin to West Virginia, giving the Mountaineers two backs with eye-popping résumés before the season even begins.
There’s another wrinkle in the run game too. Kayden “Cowboy” Luke came in from Arizona to handle fullback, a spot Mountaineer fans know well from the Owen Schmitt days in the mid-2000s when Pat White and Steve Slaton were thriving behind that kind of physical presence.
Rich Rodriguez does not use the fullback the same way now, leaning more on tight ends for blocking, but Luke gives the offense a legitimate option when it needs one hard yard. That kind of piece can matter when drives get tight near the goal line.
Quarterback is the one spot that still has to be settled, but the guess here is Michael Hawkins Jr. Nothing has been announced yet, and Rich Rodriguez is not rushing the call just to satisfy offseason chatter.
Still, Hawkins fits the profile. He has already started real games at the Power Four level, he brings a dual-threat style that matches Rodriguez’s preferences, and he delivered a road win at Oklahoma as a true freshman - the first OU freshman ever to do that.
His football roots run deep as well, with a father who played corner at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops and later in the NFL. His brother Maliek transferred in too, joining the secondary at corner.
The receiving corps gives this offense another layer. Jaden Bray is back for his final season as the top target.
DJ Epps came over from Troy and can help as both a slot receiver and kick returner. Prince Strachan adds size at 6-foot-5, while TaRon Francis brings the kind of pedigree that matters, a four-star transfer from LSU who had also turned down Florida State and Georgia Tech.
If defenses stack bodies to slow Cook and Latimer, those receivers should find space to work.
The schedule also gives West Virginia a real chance to get rolling early. The Mountaineers have seven home games, including five Big 12 matchups in Morgantown.
They open at home against Coastal Carolina, a program under a new coaching staff. Virginia comes to Charlotte for a neutral-site meeting for the first time since 2002.
Oklahoma State, Arizona and Cincinnati all visit Morgantown. The road is still demanding, with Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech and a finale at Utah, but the early setup is favorable.
There is even a bigger-picture angle hanging over the season. The conversation about West Virginia’s long-term place is getting louder, and the school remains the only Power conference program in the state without pro sports competition for attention.
The source draws a parallel with Arkansas in the SEC, and with Congress debating the Protect College Sports Act and a possible freeze on realignment coming this fall, the timing matters. A strong season would only amplify that discussion.
West Virginia has had talented teams before. What feels different now is how much of it is concentrated in the spots that decide games: a star runner, another elite young back, a quarterback with starting experience, and a receiver group that can punish defenses for crowding the box. With that mix and a schedule that lets the Mountaineers build momentum at home, this really does look like a season worth remembering.
In Other News...
West Virginia Has A New Noel Devine Recruiting Battle To Watch
Noel Devine Jr. wasted little time making his name a recruiting storyline to follow, and West Virginia is already in the mix. The freshman at Cape Coral in Florida scored two touchdowns in his first varsity game, then came away with a scholarship offer from Florida to go with the ones he already held from Miami, South Florida and the Mountaineers.
For West Virginia, it is another early look at a player whose recruitment figures to keep growing as he moves through the 2030 class. With Power Four programs likely to keep piling on as he develops, the Mountaineers are at the start of what could become a long pursuit for a prospect with a familiar name and an increasingly busy offer sheet. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Rotation Battle Just Got More Interesting Before The Opener
West Virginia has wrapped up its preseason scrimmages and is shifting into the final stretch of prep for the season opener against Coastal Carolina. Rich Rodriguez used the last look to give the upperclassmen a break and let younger players pile up reps, a move that also doubled as a chance for those players to compete for spots on the scout team while the staff kept evaluating the roster.
The depth chart still isnt locked in, and Rodriguez said he expects to settle it by game week, which keeps the focus on every practice between now and kickoff. For a team still sorting out roles, that means the opener is doing more than starting the season. It is also serving as the first real answer to who has earned a place in the rotation and who still has work to do. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Position Battles Are Heating Up As One Receiver Concern Lingers
West Virginias preseason stock report on its football roster has the feel of a team still sorting out where everyone fits, and a few names are making that conversation more interesting by the day. Players like Hawkins, Traugh, Aisosa and Haastrup are all being tracked closely as camp work continues, with the coaching staff weighing development, current form and how each piece might fit into the mix this fall.
The broader picture is encouraging enough, but the receiver room still carries a bit of unease because the progress there is being measured against what the Mountaineers need from the position group as a whole. These evaluations remain just that, ongoing assessments rather than locked-in decisions, which means the next stretch of preseason work will matter plenty for anyone trying to turn momentum into a real role. [Read more 🡒]