West Virginia’s Week 5 depth chart for the road trip to Iowa State looks almost identical to last week’s, and that appears to be the plan unless injuries force the issue.
At quarterback, the Mountaineers list Mike Hawkins Jr. OR Scotty Fox Jr., with Jyron Hughley OR Max Brown behind them.
Running back remains Cam Cook at the top, followed by Amari Latimer, Chris Talley and Martavious Boswell. The wide receiver spots are unchanged as well: Jaden Bray, Taron Francis and Landon Drumm at X; DJ Epps and Cyrus Traugh at Y; and John Neider, Cyrus Traugh and Keon Hutchins at Z.
Tight end still shows Josh Sapp OR Ryan Ward, with Kade Bush OR Cam Ball. Up front, the offensive line stays put with Kevin Brown, Malik Agbo and Deshawn Woods at left tackle; Nick Krahe and Lamarcus Dillard at left guard; Wes King at center with Josh Aisosa OR Landen Livingston; Amare Grayson and Cam Griffin at right guard; and Carsten Casady and Aidan Woods at right tackle.
The same kind of stability shows up on defense, where the chart again doesn’t seem likely to change much from week to week. West Virginia lists EDGE as Zeke Durham-Campbell and Emerson Joy; defensive tackle as Corey McIntyre Jr. and K.J. Henson OR Yendor Mack; nose guard as Nate Gabriel, Will LeBlanc and Taylor Brown; and BAN as Harper Holloman, David Afogho, Tobi Haastrup OR Jeremiah Johnson.
At linebacker, Ben Cutter is listed at MIKE with Tyler Stolsky OR Isaiah Patterson behind him, while Ashton Woods OR Cam Torbor is at WILL. Geimere Latimer II and Miles Khatri are at N/S. In the secondary, Chams Diagne and Keyshawn Robinson are at one corner spot, Nick Taylor and Jaire Rawlison at the other, Andrew Powdrell OR Matt Sieg at free safety, and Kamari Wilson with Da’Mare Williams OR Kameron Reddic at boundary safety.
One name that does not appear is Georgia transfer JaCorey Thomas, but he is expected to make his Mountaineer debut this weekend. If that happens, Andrew Powdrell would likely move from free safety back to nickel, with Thomas and Sieg splitting time at free safety and Powdrell spelling Geimere Latimer at nickel/sam.
Special teams stays the same on paper, too. Jack Cassidy OR Nate Flower is listed at kicker, Cassidy and Flower are both on kickoff, Bryan Hansen and Mack Flynn are at holder and punter, Macguire Moss and Kaden Seller are at long snapper, and DJ Epps OR Matt Sieg is listed for both kick return and punt return.
In Other News...
Rich Rodriguez Just Raised Two Big Concerns For West Virginia
Rich Rodriguez used his latest Coaches Show appearance to take a clear-eyed look at where West Virginia stands after the loss to Oklahoma State, and the picture he painted was not especially comforting. He pointed to defensive issues that showed up in the defeat, while also noting the offense had its own share of work to do as the Mountaineers try to steady things heading into a tougher stretch.
The next test comes against Iowa State, a team Rodriguez described as dangerous because of its defense and an experienced quarterback, which only sharpens the margin for error. He also offered an update on Armoni Bomar-Weavers finger injury and touched on the broader questions of player development and roster building, reminders that West Virginias concerns run beyond one game and into the shape of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Geno Smith Led A Strong Weekend For Former West Virginia Stars
West Virginia had plenty to track across the NFLs third weekend, with nine former Mountaineers active on rosters and several of them turning in meaningful snaps. The headliner was Geno Smith, who delivered one of the sharper outings of the week by completing 31 of 37 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns, a reminder that the schools NFL pipeline keeps producing players who can still shape games at the highest level.
Rasul Douglas also continued his steady run, starting for the Commanders in their win over the Seahawks and giving the Mountaineers another familiar name in a prominent spot. Beyond those two, the rest of the weekend was a useful snapshot of how wide West Virginias pro footprint has become, with each players snap count and Pro Football Focus grade offering another layer to a busy slate for the programs alumni. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Passing Game Suddenly Has A New Concern Before Iowa State
West Virginias passing game picked up a new concern this week as Rich Rodriguez said wide receiver Armoni Weaver-Bomar is dealing with a finger injury that could affect his availability for the upcoming games. Weaver-Bomar has been used in limited snaps this season, but his injury adds another layer to a receiver group that is already trying to find more stability heading into the matchup with Iowa State.
Weaver-Bomar was hurt during the recent game against Oklahoma State, and the timing is less than ideal with the Mountaineers still sorting out their options on offense. The program is expected to release an official availability report later in the week, which should provide a clearer picture of whether he can suit up or if West Virginia will need to adjust again at receiver. [Read more 🡒]