West Virginia needed help at the wide receiver position and freshman Kaden Prather was ready to step into the most meaningful snaps of his career.

With Isaiah Esdale on the shelf, Sean Ryan injured mid-game and Sam Brown in the transfer portal, the Mountaineers needed to help find some production from the other receivers.

Prather played 44 snaps reeling in 4 catches for 60 yards including a 32-yard grab while lining up at the Z position, which was relatively new to him but not overwhelming.

The Maryland native had only 46 yards on the season before that point across 104 total snaps. Perhaps it was the breakthrough spark that the true freshman needed to propel himself into the final two games with some on the field momentum heading into the off-season.

“Prather is going to be a player. He’s gotten better, he made some plays today one versus man coverage. He’s a kid I’ve got a lot of belief in,” head coach Neal Brown said.

It was something that the coaching staff had seen in practice leading up to the game in large part because of the steps he had taken on the practice field. That is often the most challenging aspect for a young player that is used to being the man at his high school and instead must adjust to the demands of playing wide receiver at the highest level of college football.

But the light bulb has turned on of late which is encouraging for his future.

“He’s trusted the course and learned how to practice really hard. He’s understood why I’ve had a foot up his you know what all the time and why being great matters all the time,” offensive coordinator Gerad Parker said. “He got a little bit of taste of what that could be and so now the challenge is even more commitment to make sure he’s more consistent and continues to play that way.”

The relationship between Parker and Prather is a big reason why he ended up in Morgantown in the first place. The two have developed a trust that dates back to even when the assistant was recruiting him at Penn State. The message about consistency is one that has struck home.

“Really just being consistent. That was my main problem. As I’ve been here for the months, I’ve been getting better with my consistency which has helped my play,” Prather said.

Prather was the crown-jewel of the 2020 recruiting class but has spent most of this season transitioning to the college level. There is plenty of optimism about where he could eventually be at the position.

While he didn’t play his senior season due to COVID-19 canceling it, he exceled during his junior year piling up 42 passes for 895 yards and 9 scores. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound, pass catcher has the size and speed necessary to get open as well as make contested catches.

He spent all of last season working with his trainer in order to arrive in Morgantown a more polished product. The work put him in line to avoid a redshirt and with his most significant opportunities to date it doesn’t come as a surprise that there could be even more to showcase.

“I think that he did exactly what everybody expected him to do. We have a high standard for Kaden and he did exactly what we thought he would if he got the opportunity,” wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton. “It was a good game for him it was his first time out there playing meaningful reps.”

Ford-Wheaton has served as a mentor to Prather since he arrived on campus and has really tried to focus on the areas that he struggled with as a freshman to help him avoid the same pitfalls.

“As a freshman when you come in sometimes you worry about the wrong things and you regret them when you’re older. He’s given me the keys to everything,” Prather said.

The Mountaineers have gotten plenty of production from the wide receiver spot this season but the emergence of Prather is just another valuable weapon in the tool belt not only this year but for the future. The potential is there and now, Prather believes he is ready to realize it.

“You’ve got to look at the bigger picture,” Prather said.

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