West Virginia’s position-group pecking order got another shakeup in Week Two, but the top stayed the same.
Running back remains No. 1 in the WVU Football Position Group Power Rankings after Cam Cook ripped off 142 yards and two touchdowns and Amari Latimer averaged more than five yards per carry. The room didn’t flash a ton of depth beyond that, but the opening statement was strong enough to hold the top spot.
The offensive line stayed right behind it at No. 2, even with a mixed afternoon. Right tackle Carsten Casady had a rougher day than most, and there were issues at the other four spots too.
When WVU added extra blockers, things somehow got worse. Even so, this group is still a clear step forward from last season, and that matters.
At quarterback, Michael Hawkins checked in third after an efficient day that included more than 100 rushing yards. He wasn’t especially aggressive throwing the ball, and the offense stalled in the second half, but the struggles weren’t laid entirely at his feet. He showed enough burst and enough playmaking to keep this group near the top.
Special teams landed at No. 4, helped by Jack Cassidy’s perfect night kicking it through the end zone every time, plus a made field goal and a calm overall look. Matt Sieg also gave WVU something useful as a return man, while Bryan Hansen had both extremes - a 74-yard punt, but also two shanks.
Wide receiver came in fifth. DJ Epps and Jaden Bray each had some good moments, and Armoni Weaver-Bomar got behind the defense once.
But the blocking was uneven, and Prince Strachan wasn’t even on the depth chart, with no clear timeline for his return. It’s an average-looking room for now, and that’s where it sits in the rankings.
Cornerback checked in at No. 6 after a “fine” Saturday. WVU gave up plenty through the air, but most of that was pinned more on the safeties and linebackers than the corners. Their ranking also benefited from other rooms falling off.
The safeties are right behind them at No. 7, and this was one of the more volatile groups on the field. Kamari Wilson brought the kind of violence that drew a Karl Joseph comparison, and Matt Sieg recovered a fumble.
But Wilson also missed a couple key tackles, Sieg lost his man for a touchdown, and Andrew Powdrell gave up a couple big plays. The staff still looks like it’s sorting out what works best back there.
Defensive line came in at No. 8.
Nate Gabriel posted the best PFF mark on the team, and the unit was solid enough in the first half. After that, the contain issues piled up and proved costly.
Then came the blow that changes everything: Darius Wiley suffered a devastating knee injury that is expected to keep him out for an entire calendar year, if not more.
Linebackers fell to No. 9 after last week’s jump turned out to be too much, too soon. The rise had made sense on paper after the emergence of Cam Torbor and Ashton Woods, but Saturday exposed why that group shouldn’t have climbed so high.
Tight end stayed last at No. 10.
The four lowest-graded players on the week were the three tight ends and the fullback that trains with them. Health was the issue last week, and while everyone was available this time, none of them played well enough to move the needle.
In Other News...
WVU Sees New Revenue In Two Venues With One Big Catch
WVU is leaning harder into the business side of college athletics, and Wren Bakers latest restructuring puts Don Robinson in charge of a key slice of that effort. Robinson will serve as the liaison to Learfields Mountaineer Sports Properties while also helping lead the push to bring concerts and other events to Hope Coliseum and Milan Puskar Stadium, part of a broader plan to create new revenue streams for the athletics department.
The ambition is there, but so are the hurdles. Hope Coliseum still needs major work, including no air conditioning, and both venues have loading limitations that make it tougher to stage larger productions. WVU wants those issues addressed well enough to host bigger shows by 2028, turning two familiar campus sites into something more than game-day buildings, even if the path to get there is going to take some real upgrades. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rod Is Trying To Shield WVU From Portal Chaos
West Virginias roster management has become just as important as the on-field work this fall, with Rich Rodriguez and general manager Chuck Lillie leaning hard into one goal before the transfer portal opens again: keep the Mountaineers from getting hit by another wave of turnover. The staff has spent time trying to retain players through multi-year contracts, part of a broader push to create some stability in a sport that keeps making roster building more complicated.
The timing matters because the new eligibility rules have reduced the number of free transfers available, giving programs a chance to be more aggressive about locking players in for their full college careers. West Virginia has not disclosed which players are involved or what those deals look like, but the direction is clear. Rodriguez is trying to get ahead of portal chaos before it starts, and for a program that has seen how quickly a roster can change, that matters just as much as anything happening on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Fans Have A Real Dilemma After Hawkins Sparked Mixed Feelings
The first half against Coastal Carolina gave West Virginia plenty to feel good about, with the Mountaineers jumping out fast and looking like a team ready to put the game away early. The overall vibe around the program changed quickly after the break, though, as the performance loosened enough to leave fans sorting through both the promise and the frustration that came with it.
Michael Hawkins Jr. was a big part of why the night still carried excitement, and his showing only sharpened the debate about what West Virginia might have in him going forward. For a fan base trying to balance momentum with a few too many warning signs, the bigger question now is how much of what they saw can travel into the next stretch of games. [Read more 🡒]