Following an average 2020 season, things are looking up for West Virginia’s offensive line.

The unit was ranked No. 75 out of 127 FBS teams by Pro Football Focus last season, placing the group roughly in the middle of the Big 12. While it’s nowhere near that of bottom feeders like Kansas, there are still places to improve.

Entering fall camp, head coach Neal Brown says that the group is on track to be better this season, and it seems to all start with Virginia Tech transfer Doug Nester.

“Doug is a lot more confident in this practice than he was at any point during the spring,” Brown said. “I just think that he’s an extremely humble guy, he wanted to make sure that he earned his spot. I think he was a little unsure what we were trying to get him to do, we bounced him around a lot in the spring from positions.”

Nester, who returned to his home state earlier in December, originally committed to Virginia Tech during the 2019 recruiting cycle. He started 17 games in two seasons for the Hokies, but opted to come home for his junior season.

A Spring Valley (W.Va.) product, Nester was listed at right guard in the Mountaineers’ initial preseason depth chart. He’s been working primarily at the guard positions, and it's also where he saw game action at Virginia Tech.

“I look forward to him having a great fall camp,” Brown said. “We need him to play, we do.”

Nester joins a group featuring returnees Zach Frazier (center, sophomore) and James Gmiter (left guard, redshirt junior) that have shown the ability to hold it down at their positions. The true questions lie at the tackle spots, where youth is a primary trait.

Brandon Yates is the early front runner for the left tackle spot after starting nine games there last season, while the right tackle spot seems to be a contest between redshirt sophomore Parker Moorer and redshirt junior John Hughes.

When asked about the guys at the position on Friday, Brown said that they already look the part of high-level offensive linemen.

“Their bodies look better. When you see them [Saturday] they look the part of Power 5 tackles. What we need from (Brandon) Yates is some urgency, and he’s gotta be physical. He’s got a lot of reps and he played well last year at times. As his confidence increases, he’s got a chance to be a really good player.

“Parker Moorer had a really good offseason. He’s got to play better than he did last year, which he will. He’s got a better understanding of defensive football. He’s got a better understanding of what we’re trying to do. He got better as the spring went on, and I anticipate him getting better as we go through fall.”

“We look a lot better — there’s a significant difference in how we look. We probably don’t have the number of bodies that we need, [we’re] probably one recruiting class away from that.”

Brown also mentioned that Wyatt Milum, a four-star recruit from Spring Valley, is also in the mix to see some playing time this season.

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