West Virginia’s 2026 outlook already comes with a few familiar names attached to it, including Mike Hawkins Jr., Cam Cook, Jaden Bray, Nate Gabriel and Geimere Latimer. But as camp approaches in a couple of weeks, the more interesting question is which lesser-known players could force their way into the picture and make a real impact this season.
There are five Mountaineers worth watching closely.
Start with Boswell, who brings exactly what jumps off the page: speed. Maybe more speed than anyone else in the running backs room.
With all the attention going to the nation’s leading rusher, Cam Cook, and the buzz around true freshman Amari Latimer, Boswell has been easy to overlook. That’s a mistake.
Even though Latimer may be listed ahead of him on the depth chart, Boswell is in that mix too, and he arrives after a 1,000-yard season at the junior college level.
Neider is another name that deserves a much bigger spotlight. If there were an actual market for buying stock in a player, he might be one of the best values on the roster.
He does not bring a long track record at wide receiver, since he played quarterback in high school, but he already shows a strong feel for the position and for finding space. He can win contested catches and turn into a home-run threat.
Whether he becomes a star is still an open question, but the expectation here is that he develops into a dependable and steady playmaker.
On the defensive line, West Virginia is young and still searching for a true interior difference-maker, even though the staff feels good about where Nate Gabriel is headed. LeBlanc is the one to keep an eye on as the season wears on and he gets more snaps at this level. At UT-Permian Basin, a Division II program, he posted 32 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four QB hits and 1.5 sacks last season.
Torbor fits the kind of linebacker profile defensive coordinator Zac Alley is trying to build more of. The Mountaineers are short on players who combine size and speed at that spot, but Torbor does.
He stands 6’3”, 239 lbs, and can run as well as, or better than, some much lighter teammates. If he doesn’t grab a starting job in fall camp, he still looks like a player who will be on the field often in a rotational role.
And then there’s Hawkins. Geimere Latimer is expected to start at Nickel/Sam, but that does not mean Hawkins is going to be stuck watching.
West Virginia plans to use him, especially because he is one of its best blitzing defensive backs and gives the defense the length it was missing a year ago. Latimer could move around to safety or even corner to make room for Hawkins, and Hawkins could also slide out to corner himself in certain situations.
By 2026, he is set to be a three-year starter at WVU and is basically the starter in waiting.
In Other News...
Will Grier Reaches A Career Crossroads That Hits WVU Fans Hard
Will Griers football path has come to a familiar kind of end for a player whose name still carries real weight in Morgantown. After a standout college run at West Virginia, he moved on to the NFL with the kind of expectations that come with being a high-profile quarterback prospect, then spent seven seasons trying to carve out a lasting role at the next level.
His pro journey took him through Carolina and five other stops, but the bigger story for Mountaineer fans is how quickly the league chapter can feel like a blur compared with what he did in college. Griers time in the NFL included only a brief chance to start, which leaves his West Virginia legacy looking even more central now that the next stage of his career has closed. [Read more 🡒]
Did WVU Really Miss Out On Those 2025 Decommits
A year after West Virginia watched a batch of 2025 commitments peel away, the useful question is not just who left, but what those departures actually cost. The answer, at least through the first season at their new homes, is not much. The review of the decommits and the players who were formally released from their letters of intent shows a group that largely settled into limited roles, with only scattered game action and little sign that any one of them was positioned to swing the Mountaineers roster picture.
For WVU, that matters because recruiting losses can look far more painful in the moment than they do once the season plays out. Several of those former targets barely surfaced on the field, and the distinction between true decommits and players who were let out of their pledges only sharpens the picture. The bigger thread now is whether the staff simply missed on talent, or whether this was one of those cycles where the drama around the departures outpaced the actual impact on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]