West Virginia’s second preseason scrimmage has done more than tighten the clock toward Week 0. It has also sharpened the picture of where the Mountaineers stand at several spots on the roster, with the opener against Coastal Carolina now less than two weeks away.
The biggest takeaway from the updated projection is that a few battles are still very much alive, but the top of the chart is starting to come into focus. At quarterback, the list runs Mike Hawkins, Scotty Fox Jr., Max Brown, Jyron Hughley, Max Anderson, Wyatt Walker Brown, and John Johnson III.
In the backfield, Cam Cook sits at the top, followed by Amari Latimer, Chris Talley, Martavious Boswell, Lawrence Autry, Andre Devine, and Darius Morant. The true freshman has made progress, and the expectation is that he’ll be RB5 once he gets back on the field. Right now, though, he’s dealing with an injury and is expected to miss another week or so.
At receiver, the room is laid out with Prince Strachan, TaRon Francis, Landon Drumm, and Malachi Thompson at X; DJ Epps, Armoni Weaver-Bomar, Kedrick Triplett, Charlie Hanafin, and Greg Wilfred at slot; and Jaden Bray, John Neider, Cyrus Traugh, Keon Hutchins, Robert Oliver, and Brad Mossor at Z.
Tight end features Josh Sapp first, then Ryan Ward, Cam Ball, Kade Bush, Sam Hamilton, Xavier Anderson, and Carter Zuliani.
Up front, there’s movement as well. Josh Aisosa has been taking snaps at center, while Wes King has also been working at left guard, the position he played at Wyoming.
The projection has Nick Krahe at left guard, with Wes King, Cam Griffin, Rhett Morris, and Raymond Kovalesky behind him. At center, Wes King is listed first, followed by Josh Aisosa, Landen Livingston, and Lamarcus Dillard.
Amare Grayson leads the right guard group, and Carsten Casady heads the right tackle spot.
On defense, the line starts with Zeke Durham-Campbell and Darius Wiley at end, Corey McIntyre Jr., KJ Henson, Taylor Brown, Yendor Mack, and Gabe Ryan at tackle, and Nate Gabriel, Jaylen Thomas, Will LeBlanc, and Cam Mallory at nose. The edge group is led by Harper Holloman and Tobi Haastrup, with Jeremiah Johnson, David Afogho, Noah Tishendorf, and Carter Kessler in the mix.
At linebacker, Tyler Stolsky tops the MIKE group and Cam Torbor leads WILL. The note here is that Torbor is expected to start, while Malachi Hood and Ben Cutter split reps behind him. Hood is described as bigger and longer than Cutter, and Cutter should still get plenty of snaps.
The nickel/SAM spot has Geimere Latimer first, followed by Maliek Hawkins, Miles Khatri, Emory Snyder, and Jayden Ballard.
In the secondary, Chams Diagne and Nick Taylor look like the clear starters at corner for now. That said, the rotation remains unsettled, and the cut-off for playing time still isn’t fully defined.
Kent State transfer Jaire Rawlison is a name to watch there after a solid camp; he has logged the most snaps of anyone in that room. The rest of the corner group includes ChaMarryus Bomar, Rayshawn Reynolds Jr., Simaj Hill, Da'Mun Allen, Keyshawn Robinson, Vincent Smith, Makhi Boone, and Jayden Bell.
At safety, Andrew Powdrell is first at free safety and Kamari Wilson leads at boundary safety, with Matt Sieg, Jacob Bradford, Tim Roberson, Shane Cornali, Kameron Reddic, Da'Mare Williams, Rickey Giles, and Alex Adebayo also listed.
In Other News...
WVU Defense Faces One Big Test Before Fans Can Trust It
As fall camp moves deeper into August, the Mountaineers defense sounds like a group that is starting to settle in. Defensive coordinator Zac Alley said the players are gaining a better grasp of the system, looking more comfortable and making smarter plays, while Rich Rodriguez has pointed to the benefit of bringing back several experienced pieces even as the staff layers in more complex schemes this season.
The bigger question is whether all of that translates when the games turn physical. West Virginia still has concerns up front, especially about the defensive lines depth and size against run-heavy opponents, and that is the kind of issue that tends to show up quickly once the pads stay on and the opposition starts leaning on the front seven. [Read more 🡒]
WVU's NFL Pipeline Rebuild Suddenly Has A Few Real Names To Watch
West Virginias roster under Rich Rodriguez is starting to look like it could feed an NFL conversation again, and there are a few names worth tracking beyond the usual program-wide optimism. Running back Cam Cook has drawn attention as a junior, second-year linebacker Cam Torbor has put himself on the radar in the middle of the defense, and first-year offensive lineman Kevin Brown is already the kind of body and talent evaluators notice early when they study a depth chart.
For a program trying to rebuild its pipeline, the value is in having players at different stages of development who can plausibly become draftable pieces if they keep moving in the right direction. None of that guarantees anything yet, of course, but it gives WVU something it has been looking for: a short list of real prospects, not just a hope that someone emerges later. [Read more 🡒]
WVU May Have Found A Breakout Defender Right On Time
Cam Torbors rise has been one of the more encouraging developments of West Virginias preseason, especially for a defense that can use every bit of help it can get. The redshirt freshman came into camp with limited game action and a background more familiar to edge rusher than off-ball linebacker, but the staff has seen enough growth to start imagining him as part of the opening-night plan. Rich Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Zac Alley have both pointed to Torbors athleticism, speed and upside as reasons his name has moved quickly into the conversation.
What makes Torbor especially intriguing is how new this all still is. The linebacker transition is recent, and while WVU appears ready to lean on him right away, there is still a sense that his best football is ahead of him rather than behind him. For the Mountaineers, that creates a pretty useful kind of problem: a player who may be able to help now, with the chance to become much more than a useful piece once he settles fully into the position. [Read more 🡒]