West Virginia will open the regular season on the road at Penn State and WVSports.com takes a look at five players to watch leading into that contest.

Redshirt senior linebacker Lee Kpogba

2022 statistics: 92 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss

Reason: This name shouldn’t be surprising considering Kpogba led West Virginia in tackles last season with 92 and that was his first season in the football program. After arriving from junior college there is always a transition period and you could see that playing out over the course of the season as he was playing his best football at the end of the year. Kpogba worked on his flexibility in order to improve in coverage and is the unquestioned vocal leader of the defense that sets the tone. Kpogba is nearly a lock to finish as the leading tackler for the Mountaineers and could be primed for even more.

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