West Virginia’s 2025 season comes with no shortage of unknowns, and that’s exactly why the biggest questions around this team feel so wide open. With so many new faces on the roster, the coaching staff has some spots it likes and others that still look unsettled. The result is a program that can imagine a lot of different paths - some promising, some messy.
At quarterback, though, the noise around a battle doesn’t seem to match what’s going on inside the building. The Oklahoma transfer, Hawkins, has drawn strong reviews, and there’s a belief he can be one of the Big 12’s best signal callers.
That said, the expectation is more about 2026 than right now. This fall is about how good Hawkins can be in the present, because this is his offense and has been for a while.
If he catches fire and West Virginia gets to seven or more wins, the ripple effect could be huge. The Mountaineers would likely become more attractive to top-tier transfer talent next winter, with other players seeing something real taking shape. In that sense, Hawkins’ ceiling isn’t just about this season - it could speed up the rebuild.
The biggest offensive concern sits in the backfield, where the talent is obvious but the experience is not. True freshman Amari Latimer is a stud, and his classmate Chris Talley brings next-level speed, but the question is whether they can handle a bigger role if things go sideways. Junior college transfer Martavious Boswell is also in the mix and has shown some encouraging signs, yet the same issue follows him: can he take on a much larger workload if he’s forced into the fire?
For Rich Rodriguez, the ideal answer is simple - keep Cook healthy, play all 12 games, and let him stay among the nation’s leading rushers for a second straight year.
The picture at receiver is clearer on one side than the other. Georgia State transfer Chams Diagne is set as a starter and has already earned the staff’s trust.
The open spot is where things get interesting. Nick Taylor appears to be the front-runner, but JUCO product Da'Mun Allen, Kent State transfer Jaire Rawlison, and returner Keyshawn Robinson are all in the hunt.
If that group doesn’t settle in, there’s another wrinkle: two of the top nickel/sams, Geimere Latimer and Maliek Hawkins, could be pushed to the perimeter more often. Both have played there before and can help if needed.
The early schedule also gives West Virginia a real chance to make a statement fast. Matching last year’s win total in the first month is on the table with Coastal Carolina and UT Martin opening the season, followed by a neutral-site game against Virginia and then a Big 12 opener at home against Oklahoma State. That’s a manageable runway, especially with Oklahoma State still adjusting to this level after bringing over much of its roster from Group of Six football.
If that kind of start happens, WVU could find itself ranked or at least receiving votes in the AP Top 25. It wouldn’t automatically make the Mountaineers a Big 12 contender, but it would put them in position to potentially double last year’s win total and land in a solid bowl game.
The flip side is ugly. If West Virginia drops both games in that two-week homestand, it could be staring at a major hole.
At that point, a bowl game would be far from guaranteed, especially with Texas Tech, TCU, Houston, and Utah still waiting. And the pressure would go beyond the standings.
Rodriguez can’t afford a second straight bowl miss, especially if donors start wondering whether they should keep pouring money into the program heading into 2027.
In Other News...
West Virginia Just Landed A Back Who Could Change Everything
Cam Cook is back in the Big 12 and heading to West Virginia after a dominant 2025 season at Jacksonville State, where the senior running back used an extra year of eligibility to keep his career going. His arrival gives the Mountaineers a proven runner with a track record of carrying an offense, and it comes at a time when West Virginia is looking to get its ground game back on track after a difficult season.
Cooks production at Jacksonville State was the kind that turns heads across the league, and West Virginia is betting that skill set can translate quickly in Morgantown. The fit makes sense on paper, especially for a program that wants more punch on the ground, but the real question now is how the Mountaineers plan to use him and just how much he can reshape their rushing attack once he gets into the system. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez Just Landed A Big Piece For WVU's O-Line Future
Rich Rodriguezs latest addition to the West Virginia offensive line pipeline comes in the form of Tristan Hardin-Roberts, a Blount High School lineman from Mobile, Alabama who gives the Mountaineers another developmental piece up front. Hardin-Roberts arrives with the kind of frame and versatility coaches like to work with, and he was able to sort through a handful of suitors before settling on Morgantown.
West Virginia beat out Oklahoma State, South Florida and Tulane for his commitment, a notable win as Rodriguez continues building out the future of the line. He is expected to begin at tackle, though the staff could always revisit his best fit once he gets on campus and adds more weight, leaving a little room for the final answer on where he settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Why Geimere Latimer Already Feels Like A Perfect WVU Fit
Geimere Latimers path to West Virginia has already made him look like the kind of player this staff tends to value. A highly successful high school quarterback in Georgia, he had to navigate skepticism from Division I programs about both his position and his size, then reinvent himself as a cornerback at Jacksonville State. He played in every game there and helped the Gamecocks win a Conference USA championship, a strong sign that the move away from quarterback did not slow him down.
Now Latimer is back with coaches he knows, which matters in a program that has leaned on familiarity and versatility in the secondary. After stops at Jacksonville State and Wisconsin, he arrived in Morgantown with a chance to settle into a role that fits his skill set, and the expectation is that he will work at nickel back. For West Virginia, that kind of adaptable defender can be especially useful, and Latimers journey suggests he may be ready to make the most of it. [Read more 🡒]