West Virginia’s bye week offers a clean checkpoint, and through eight games the Mountaineers’ offense has a pretty clear shape to it: Mike Hawkins Jr. has been a star, Cam Cook has carried a huge load, and the receiving and offensive line groups have had more uneven stretches.
At quarterback, Hawkins has been the headline act. He owns an 88.3 grade on 582 snaps, well ahead of the rest of the room.
Jyron Hughley is next at 73.2 on 10 snaps, followed by Max Anderson at 69.5 on five, Max Brown at 59.7 on three and Scotty Fox Jr. at 51.6 on 16. Hawkins’ number isn’t just strong; it’s elite.
The report notes that he has the 13th-highest grade of any starting quarterback in college football and could finish inside the top 10 if he keeps rolling. The early read on him from March looks even better now: barring injury, he has been the only quarterback to start, and he has outperformed expectations.
The backfield has been built around Cook, who has logged 475 snaps and a 77.0 grade. Amari Latimer has been right there with him at 76.9 across 209 snaps, while Martavious Boswell sits at 69.6 in 14 snaps.
Chris Talley has a 51.6 grade on three snaps, Lawrence Autry is at 50.2 on 11, and Darius Morant has a 42.3 on eight. Cook’s production is impossible to ignore: he ranks third in the nation in rushing with 923 yards.
Even with two fumbles and two drops, the assessment here is that his grade feels low for how steady he has been in pass protection and how much he has handled for this offense. Latimer, meanwhile, has been impressive as a true freshman and has posted almost the same mark in about half the snaps.
The wide receiver room has produced a mix of confirmation and frustration. Kedrick Triplett tops the group with an 87.8 grade, though it comes on just nine snaps.
DJ Epps has a 76.4 grade on 422 snaps, and Prince Strachan is at 74.9 on 258. Armoni Weaver-Bomar checks in at 72.8 on 36 snaps, followed by Cyrus Traugh at 68.8 on 146, John Neider at 61.1 on 362, Robert Oliver at 61.0 on 13, Jaden Bray at 60.5 on 410, Keon Hutchins at 60.2 on 22, Brad Mossor at 60.1 on three, Landon Drumm at 60.1 on three, Charlie Hanafin at 60.1 on three, Greg Wilfred at 60.0 on two, Malachi Thompson at 59.1 on seven and TaRon Francis at 49.2 on 86.
Epps and Strachan have delivered on the buzz, but Bray has not been as dependable as expected, despite some difficult contested catches. The expectation here is that Traugh will become more involved after the bye, and that he could end up with more production than Bray by season’s end.
For the passing game to take another step, the offense needs a third receiver to emerge.
Tight end has been less productive than hoped, especially as a run-blocking group. Ryan Ward leads that position with a 63.4 grade on 273 snaps, with Kade Bush at 63.3 on 13.
Carter Zuliani is at 59.8 on two snaps, Sam Hamilton at 57.6 on three, Josh Sapp at 51.1 on 165, Cam Ball at 49.7 on 60, Xavier Anderson at 33.1 on 14 and Kayden Luke at 59.5 on 34. The group has not been what the offense needed in the ground game, and while Ward has had his moments, the overall results have been underwhelming.
Up front, the line is clearly better than a year ago, even if it is not yet among the Big 12’s best. Kevin Brown has a 64.0 grade on 583 snaps, Nick Krahe is at 64.8 on 522, Wes King sits at 72.9 on 583, Amare Grayson is at 71.4 on 583, and Carsten Casady is at 57.9 on 503. Behind them, Malik Agbo has a 63.2 grade on 113 snaps, Josh Aisosa is at 59.4 on 90, Lamarcus Dillard at 66.5 on 26, Devin Vass at 55.3 on 25, Cam Griffin at 57.2 on 16, Landen Livingston at 52.5 on 10, Aidan Woods at 59.5 on eight, Trevor Bigelow at 58.0 on eight, DeShawn Woods at 57.8 on eight, Raymond Kovalesky at 55.7 on five, Andreas Hunter at 60.4 on five, Camden Goforth at 60.1 on three and Rhett Morris at 57.6 on three.
The left side has been complicated by a true freshman adjusting to the job, and the right tackle spot has not given West Virginia the kind of play it wants. Still, with Cook and Hawkins behind them, the unit has some margin for error. The report also points out that everyone in the starting line except center Wes King can return in 2027, and with Rick Trickett coaching them, the expectation is that this group only keeps improving.
In Other News...
WVUs November Gauntlet Will Decide Whether This Season Becomes More
West Virginias path to a bigger finish this season is about to get a lot clearer, and a lot harder. At 5-3, the Mountaineers have put themselves in position to make the final month matter, but the schedule ahead brings three ranked opponents into the mix and leaves little room for a slip if they want to turn a solid season into something more meaningful.
ESPNs FPI matchup predictor does not exactly make the road look inviting in the final four games, and the numbers reflect what the eye test already suggests about the challenges ahead. The good news for West Virginia is that the season is still sitting on a knifes edge, which means November can still push this group toward a strong finish. The bad news is that the margin for error shrinks quickly when the opposition gets this steep. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia May Have A Star QB It Can't Take For Granted
Mike Hawkins Jr. has been one of the biggest reasons West Virginias offense has looked dangerous this fall. The Mountaineers quarterback is drawing national attention for production that goes well beyond the box score, sitting ninth among quarterbacks in PFF grades while piling up efficiency marks that separate the truly productive passers from the merely busy ones.
Hawkins has also given West Virginia a rare blend of explosiveness and restraint, leading the nation in rushing touchdowns while ranking near the top in yards per completion and adjusted yards per pass attempt. The deeper concern for the Mountaineers is how much of that growth has come from a quarterback who is making difficult throws, creating chunk plays and limiting mistakes despite a completion rate shaped by aggressive downfield attempts and a few too many drops around him. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Defense May Have Found An Identity At The Perfect Time
West Virginias defense has spent much of conference play trying to find a rhythm, but the last two games offered a clearer picture of what this unit wants to be. Against Virginia and TCU, the Mountaineers did a better job taking away the run, getting after the quarterback and cutting down on the explosive plays that had too often put them on the back foot earlier in the league schedule. Even when opponents moved into West Virginia territory, the defense was more reliable about forcing stops and making drives work for every yard.
That improvement has come with some noticeable shifts in personnel usage and pressure generation, the kind of changes that can matter a lot when the margins get tighter in November. The red zone work has also held up better in those recent outings, which is exactly the sort of trend West Virginia has been searching for after a shaky start to conference play. Whether this is the start of a lasting identity or just a brief stretch of good timing is still the question hanging over the unit. [Read more 🡒]