West Virginia’s Taylor Brown is starting to look like a player who could force his way into the conversation up front.
The second-year defensive lineman arrived as one of the more highly regarded members of the Mountaineers’ 2025 class, but his freshman season barely got off the ground. Brown saw action only in the opener against Robert Morris, and the rest of the young defensive line class stayed off the field as well.
Now, after more than a year in Zac Alley’s system, Brown is closing in on a chance to matter. Whether that happens this fall remains to be seen, but he’s at least positioned to compete for snaps.
At nose tackle, he’s currently slotted behind Nate Gabriel, Will LeBlanc, and Jaylen Thomas. He also has a path at defensive tackle, where Corey McIntyre Jr. and KJ Henson sit ahead of him on the unofficial pecking order.
That depth chart can move fast, and even the best guess is still just a guess. The coaches know the real order, and as the source notes, it changes every day. Still, Brown has time to climb, especially with non-Power Four games in the first two weeks of the season offering chances for rotation work.
Gabriel, one of the veterans leading the front, sounded genuinely fired up about what Brown has done since last season.
“Definitely a lot of improvement in the weight room. His numbers in the weight room is phenomenal.
I mean, almost a 700-pound squat, bench went up phenomenally, clean went up - his strength numbers definitely went up. On the field, he’s definitely more physical.
(He’s) awakening that dawg side, awakening that tank in him for sure.”
That kind of growth tracks with Brown’s skill set. He’s a big body, but he moves like someone lighter, and that athleticism jumped off his high school tape.
At Dr. Henry A.
Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, he wasn’t just a defensive lineman - he also played left tackle, lined up as a lead blocker in space, and flattened defenders with his movement and force.
The burst is what stands out most. Brown has the kind of speed that lets him close ground quickly, whether he’s chasing down a play from behind or getting to the quarterback before a scrambling passer can turn the corner.
As a senior at Dr. Henry A.
Wise Jr. High School, Brown finished with 22 tackles, 15 solo stops, 11.5 tackles for loss, three hurries, and two sacks.
He chose West Virginia over offers from Buffalo, James Madison, Marshall, Memphis, Pitt, Temple, and others.
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