West Virginia’s roster churn this offseason shows up loudest in the ledger. The Mountaineers lost a lot of snaps in several spots, but they also brought in a wave of experienced transfers that changes the balance at multiple positions.
Quarterback is the one room where the outgoing side clearly outweighs the incoming. Nicco Marchiol (231 snaps), Khalil Wilkins (147) and Jaylen Henderson (76) are all gone, leaving Scotty Fox and Max Brown still in the room.
Michael Hawkins is now in the mix for the starting job, and he arrives with 73 snaps at Oklahoma last season. That leaves WVU at 378 outgoing snaps and 73 incoming, for a net loss of 305.
Running back and fullback flip the script. The entire running back room from last season is gone, with only Andre Devine returning from 2025 and he did not play a snap.
Even so, the Mountaineers actually come out ahead here because Cam Cook logged 839 snaps last year, and starting fullback Kayden Luke added 34 more. That gives the room 834 outgoing snaps and 873 incoming, a net gain of 39.
Wide receiver is more complicated. WVU lost Cam Vaughn and Rodney Gallagher to transfer, and those two accounted for most of the 1,464 outgoing snaps.
On the incoming side, John Neider brings 399 snaps and DJ Epps adds 628. Prince Strachan also factors into the room, though his case is a little different: he had 764 snaps at Boise State before an injury kept him out at USC last season, so he is credited with just seven snaps here.
Even with that experience in the room, the total comes out to 1,037 incoming snaps, leaving the Mountaineers at minus-427.
Tight end is a major win on paper. Only 13 snaps left the room, while WVU added 407.
A lot of the departure came via graduation, with Grayson Barnes and Jacob Barrick combining for 760 snaps in 2025. The portal additions matter here too, with Cam Ball from Mississippi State and Josh Sapp from Clemson both arriving as rotational pieces at P4 schools.
The offensive line is where the experience jump gets massive. WVU lost 472 snaps, but brought in 3,856.
More than 2,500 of the outgoing snaps were tied to graduation, but the bigger story is the overhaul. The Mountaineers added five transfers, and all five started and logged more than 400 snaps in 2025.
That is a huge injection of proven experience.
Defensive line also tilts in WVU’s favor. The Mountaineers lost 491 snaps, with four rotation players or starters exhausting eligibility and Asani Redwood’s 424 snaps leaving through transfer.
They answered with Ezekiel Durham-Campbell, who started for East Carolina and played more than 600 snaps. Those totals do not include Will LeBlanc, who came up from Division Two but was a full-time starter.
At bandit, the rebuild is even more dramatic. The room was wiped out by transfers and graduation, and WVU replaces that 401-snap loss with 1,286 incoming snaps. Harper Holloman accounts for 805 of those after serving as a full-time starter, while David Afogho adds 481 snaps from Bowling Green.
Linebacker follows a similar pattern. Ben Bogle’s 255 snaps were the biggest portal loss, but the Mountaineers brought in Tyler Stolsky (540), Malachi Hood (366) and Isaiah Patterson (215).
That gives WVU 491 outgoing snaps and 1,121 incoming. Jason Hall’s 244 snaps are not included because they came at Villanova.
Cornerback is one of the clearest examples of the staff loading up in the secondary. WVU only lost eight snaps, but brought in 1,038. Most of the departures were tied to eligibility, and the additions of Chams Diagne and Jaire Rawlison give the Mountaineers more than 1,000 snaps of experience.
The biggest gain of all comes at nickel/safety, where WVU went from 382 outgoing snaps to 2,506 incoming, a net gain of 2,124. The coaching staff clearly attacked the secondary in the portal, and nearly all of those additions were seniors.
In Other News...
WVUs Wide Receiver Room Has Real Promise And One Huge Concern
West Virginias receiver room enters fall camp with a mix of proven snaps and plenty of intrigue, which is usually the kind of setup that can either steady an offense or leave it searching for answers. Several of the eligible wideouts have already started at the FBS level, and the groups overall profile suggests there is real talent here if the pieces fit together the right way.
The concern is just as obvious: availability. Jaden Bray brings upside but has spent much of his college career battling injuries, while John Neider gives the room another experienced option after making the move from quarterback and starting part of last season for the Huskies. Add in the promise of players such as TaRon Francis and Prince Strachan, and the Mountaineers have a group that could look much better than expected, but only if the health and roster churn stop getting in the way. [Read more 🡒]
Where Former WVU Stars Stand As NFL Camp Pressure Builds
A number of former West Virginia standouts are heading into preseason with very different kinds of pressure attached. Some already have a foothold in the league, while others are trying to turn a summer opportunity into something more permanent. For a program that has sent plenty of talent to Sundays, these next few weeks will say a lot about which Mountaineers are still climbing and which ones have already carved out a place.
The most interesting part is how narrow the margin can be for the players still on the bubble. A few are working to prove they belong on a 53-man roster, while others are trying to stay in the conversation for a practice squad role or a depth job if injuries and camp attrition open the door. For West Virginia fans, it is the kind of preseason watch list that can change quickly, and the real answers may not come until the final rounds of roster cuts. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Offensive Confidence Meter Shows One Safe Bet And Real Concerns
The most stable part of West Virginias offense may be the one up front, where Rick Trickett has a veteran group that gives the Mountaineers a real foundation heading into the season. Around that line, though, the rest of the offense still feels like a mix of promise and projection, with the staff sorting through who can turn potential into production once the games start counting.
Mike Hawkins Jr. is the name that keeps drawing attention as the next quarterback to watch, and the running back room has enough talent to be interesting even if much of it is still unproven. Tight end is the other area that could swing the offense one way or the other, with bodies in place and upside on paper, but still plenty to prove in both the blocking game and as a passing threat. [Read more 🡒]