West Virginia landed two names on 247Sports’ list of 2026 breakout players, with wide receiver DJ Epps and defensive lineman Nate Gabriel both earning mention from sources around the Big 12.
The list, put together by Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz after they asked dozens of Power Four sources which lesser-known players were ready to take off, was trimmed to 100 players total - 25 from each conference. The Mountaineers were one of the programs with multiple players singled out.
Epps is the more immediate offensive name to watch. He arrived at West Virginia this offseason after spending his first two seasons at Troy, where he had just one catch before breaking out last year with 47 receptions.
A source told 247Sports, “Epps is a guy that earned it throughout his time at Troy,” a source said. “He's put in the work and I think he can have a breakout year.”
Gabriel’s path is a little different, but the buzz is similar. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound lineman logged 286 defensive snaps as a sophomore and finished with 13 tackles.
Now entering Year 3, he’s expected to make another jump. One source described him this way: “Strong, stout and active,” a source said.
“Came into his own through the spring and should blossom into a very good player this fall.”
West Virginia opens the season at home on Sept. 5 against Coastal Carolina, and that game doubles as the day the program retires Pat White’s number 21 years after he came from out of nowhere to become the starting quarterback on the way to a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia. In Week 3, the Mountaineers face Virginia at a neutral site. The Cavaliers, who were the 2025 ACC runner-up, have one player on the list as well: offensive lineman Makilan Thomas.
The Big 12 presence on the list is spread across the league, and West Virginia will see 15 of the 23 other players named by conference sources. Texas Tech led the way with four selections, and the Mountaineers travel to Lubbock on Nov.
- Baylor had three picks, though WVU does not play the Bears this season.
West Virginia’s two selections matched Cincinnati, Kansas, UCF, Oklahoma State and Houston. The Mountaineers do not face UCF, but they do have home games against Cincinnati, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Houston.
Elsewhere in the league, Kansas State, Utah, Arizona, TCU, Arizona State and BYU each had one player chosen, while Iowa State and Colorado had none. WVU plays at Iowa State, Utah and TCU and hosts Arizona.
The Big 12 will start to reveal more individual recognition next week when it releases preseason all-conference voting results. Media days are set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Frisco, Texas, though the league will not have a preseason poll projecting the order of finish for its 16 teams.
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