West Virginia’s passing game had too many rough stretches in 2025, and the receivers were part of the problem. The quarterback play wasn’t clean, sure, but the pass-catchers didn’t exactly bail anyone out either.
The clearest sign came on contested throws. WVU’s receivers finished the season with only 20 catches on 48 contested targets, a 41.6% success rate. That’s a long way from where a group wants to live - high 50s or low 60s is the sweet spot - and the Mountaineers were nowhere near that range last fall.
Cam Vaughn led the way for West Virginia at 57.1%, which wasn’t a surprise. Jaden Bray technically checked in at 66%, though that came on just two catches in two games, so it’s not a number that carries much weight. The full breakdown tells the story of a group that was inconsistent across the board:
Cam Vaughn: 8/14 (57.1%)
Jeff Weimer: 4/10 (40%)
Grayson Barnes: 3/6 (50%)
Jaden Bray: 2/3 (66.7)
Ryan Ward: 1/1 (100%)
Justin Smith-Brown: 1/3 (33.3%)
Rodney Gallagher III: 1/7 (14.3%)
Christian Hamilton: 0/1 (0%)
Jarod Bowie: 0/1 (0%)
Cyncir Bowers: 0/2 (0%)
There’s also some context that changes the picture for 2026. DJ Epps posted 7/12 (58.3%), John Neider was 6/10 (60%), and Prince Strachan went 5/10 (50%) in 2024 at Boise after missing last year because of injury.
Cyrus Traugh’s 2024 line at Youngstown State was 4/13 (30.8%), but he didn’t play last season. Jaden Bray’s Oklahoma State background includes a 7/11 (63.6%) contested-catch mark in his last full season there.
Looking at the rotation more narrowly makes the outlook better. The top four receivers - Bray, Strachan, Neider, and Epps - combined to go 20/35, which is 57.1%. That’s a much more workable number, especially with Bray having the kind of upside his Oklahoma State production hints at.
Traugh is another name to watch. His older numbers drag the overall total down, but those came early in his career, when he was lighter than he is now. The coaching staff has been praising him since spring, and he’s reportedly shown the ability to win those battles in practice.
Then there’s LSU transfer TaRon Francis, who has the build of an NFL receiver. That kind of frame usually comes with a chance to win more 50-50 balls, and if Francis delivers on that, along with the expected growth from Traugh and the top four, West Virginia should be a much better contested-catch team in 2026.
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 🡒]
West Virginia's Breakthrough Hopes May Hinge On One Unsettled Battle
West Virginias offseason has brought a noticeable jolt of optimism, and a lot of that starts in the backfield. Transfer running back Cam Cook arrives after a strong college season on the ground, while true freshman Amari Latimer brings another promising option to a room that already has some intrigue. Add in a set of returning and new offensive pieces around them, and the Mountaineers have at least the outline of an attack that could be more balanced and more dangerous than last years version.
The bigger question is still sitting at quarterback, where Michael Hawkins Jr. is among the leading candidates to take hold of the job. For a team that faces a Big 12 slate with several tricky road trips and seven home games on the schedule, that battle matters as much as any personnel upgrade. If West Virginia gets stability at the position, the rest of the roster has a chance to make good on the kind of breakthrough buzz that has followed the program through the offseason. [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 🡒]