Cummings and Goings: The WVSports.com: 3-2-1

1–Countdown to kickoff is underway. West Virginia opened fall camp and football is back in Morgantown. The Mountaineers are almost a week through fall camp, which will be longer than usual due to the way the calendar falls. West Virginia will remain in fall camp mode until Aug. 21 and then will shift the focus primarily toward preparing for the season opener against Penn State. But for now, it's about trying to improve overall.

The Mountaineers have placed a strong emphasis on two-spotting during the initial stages of camp in order to get as many reps as possible for those across the roster. That essentially means that the coaches are repping the same thing on multiple spots on the field in order to maximize the time being spent on each drill.

This fall camp is a little different with the rules changes which allow all coaches to instruct on the field and that's led to more individualized approaches with smaller groups of players throughout the course of what practices I've been able to observe.

Overall, West Virginia from a physical perspective certainly looks the part and my assessment aligns with what head coach Neal Brown has said about the group having the look of a contending Power Four team. This has been especially noticeable on the lines of scrimmages on both sides of the ball, the linebackers, wide receivers and secondary. The latter especially stands out to me given the size and length.

West Virginia has embraced the philosophy of getting bigger and faster across the board and certainly passes the look test but now they need to prove it on the field. There are questions that need to be answered over the next couple of weeks, but it sure is nice to have football back in Morgantown and the season approaching.

2–Injury updates and roster moves. What we've speculated about the past couple of weeks has now come to pass as West Virginia has officially announced how they have gotten down to 85 scholarship players for the 2024 season.

The Mountaineers still needed to make room for two more players and that news became public when head coach Neal Brown informed media members that redshirt junior linebacker Jairo Faverus and redshirt sophomore lineman Maurice Hamilton both have medically retired which closes the door on their remaining college eligibility.

Faverus began his career as a cornerback earning an offer at camp but the international prospect quickly outgrew that eventually settling in as a reserve linebacker and a key special teams contributor. However, he was never able to remain healthy. Hamilton on the other hand was a reserve offensive lineman who never was able to make a dent on the depth chart and now will have to leave the game without making an impact.