We are into August, which means that WVU athletics starts this month! Practices are already underway (the football team started July 30). The first exhibition game will be Friday when WVU’s mens soccer team heads to DC to take on Georgetown. The first live game will be the 14 th when the women’s soccer team hosts Virginia. And the new/old era in WVU football kicks off on August 30th .
What will fans see at that game against Robert Morris? It’s hard to tell. Not only is there a new scheme, but there are also over 50 new transfers into the WVU program. The defense has a new coordinator with Zac Alley, who promises a defense with multiple looks and one that will be very aggressive. More on that next week. But Rich Rodriguez built his reputation on offense, and he will be implementing his version of the power spread once again in Morgantown.
We don’t know exactly what it will look like, because a lot of the specifics may come down to the how well the players can execute the new offense, and what their various strengths and weaknesses are. Rodriguez has already indicated that he is willing to play more than one quarterback (to be honest, he typically has to, because quarterbacks in his system have to be willing runners, and they usually take a lot of punishment, and I’m not sure he’s ever had a starting quarterback not miss at least some time with injury).
There was going to be a good bit of turnover regardless from last year due to players graduating. Four starters from last year’s line graduated, and the fifth starter transferred. At least one other projected starter transferred as well, so the line has been pretty much completely rebuilt with transfers. In fact, there are technically no returning lettermen on the offensive line.
The starting center is expected to be Landon Livingston, who was the primary backup last year. He did get to play a fair amount, and looked pretty good doing it and even started a game (why he didn’t become a letterman is beyond me). There are a couple of players who were on the roster last year who might see significant time this year: Nick Krahe and Xavier Bausley, both are tackles.
I counted 11 offensive linemen among incoming transfers. Some will be expected to start, others will mainly be used for depth. It might be too early to tell who will fill which role, but the guesses I have seen online include Walter Young Bear, Carson Lee, and Ty’Keiast Crawford as the most likely ones to play the most.
This is the area on offense for which I have the most concern. If you can’t block well, you aren’t really going to have success on offense, no matter what kind of scheme you run. With all of the new faces, it will be critical to figure out the best lineup and backups and get them playing well and playing together. I do think the coaches are very solid, and there is potential with the players. But how fast and how successfully they can come together as a unit will be critical.
Of course quarterback is crucial in any offense, and especially so in a Rich Rod offense.
He has mentioned using two or even three quarterbacks in his early press conferences. We can probably guess that the three QB possibilities are Nicco Marchiol, Jaylen Henderson, and Scotty Fox. Marchiol, of course, is familiar to WVU fans, and has been relatively effective as Garrett Greene’s backup the past two seasons. He does seem comfortable running the ball, so he could be able to run Rodriguez’s offense pretty well. Jaylen Henderson is a transfer from Texas A&M, and could be a good fit for the offense. Fox has been at WVU, and is a young gun looking to make his mark.
The top player returning on offense is without a doubt Jahiem White. He was the only Mountaineer to be on the preseason All-Big 12 team, and should be excited at the potential to put up big numbers in the new offense. The second and third leading rushers at running back last season for WVU have both transferred, so several running backs have been brought in via the portal. Those include Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa), Jaylan Knighton (SMU), and Cyncir Bowers (Iowa Central CC). Another back, Diore Hubbard, redshirted at WVU last year and is probably the fastest of the backs (and we all know Rich Rod loves speed), so he could be an intriguing option in the backfield.
Receivers in this offense typically don’t get to catch a ton of passes, but are required to block well. Four of WVU’s top five receivers from last year have moved on, either graduating or transferring, but the one who remained is Rodney Gallagher, who seems to be excited to play in the new offense. Three other receivers who caught passes last season return, all of whom had some injuries last year: Preston Fox, Jaden Bray, and Jarel Williams. A transfer to definitely watch is Cam Vaughn, who was the top receiver last year for Rodriguez at Jacksonville State.
Several other transfers who could see playing time include Oran Singleton, Justin Smith-Brown, Christian Hamilton, and Logan Ramper. Another pair of transfers, Jarod Bowie, and Jordan.
McCants were also at Jacksonville State last year, and know the offense and expectations of receivers.
Rodriguez has been tight-lipped about what the depth chart will look like at the start of the season. Part of that is the general nature of most coaches who like to keep those things quiet. I also think a good part of the reason is that at this point, the starting lineup is still in flux, even if they have a good idea of who will start. Also, I can see the starting lineup changing during the season, even without injuries, as the coaches see how things work during live games.
