The bye week gave West Virginia the chance to get a glimpse into the future by working with some of the younger players in scrimmage situations.
The Mountaineers had about 100 plays over a two-day period and several of those freshmen and young players on the roster caught the attention of head coach Neal Brown.
True freshman defensive lineman Elijah Kinsler has played a total of 24 snaps across two appearances but could be in the mix for more snaps with how he performed during the bye week.
“He's right there on the fringe, whether he's going to play these last four or not,” Brown said.
Another player that is coming on is true freshman linebacker Rickey Williams who missed the bulk of fall camp with an injury but has started to play well. And while he isn’t likely to take on a major role this season, the coaching staff is excited for his potential moving forward.
“He's what we're looking for at the linebacker position,” Brown said.
When it comes to the defensive backs there were several who made an impact with Aden Tagaloa-Nelson playing well as a redshirt freshman, while true freshmen made their impact in Jason Cross and Keyshawn Robinson. Robinson has already been playing on special teams but it’s unclear if he can work his way into the rotation in the backend, while Cross is going to redshirt and add weight.
On the offensive side of the ball, true freshman running back Diore Hubbard has seen action in a pair of games but has continued to make leaps.
“He was really good yesterday,” Brown said.
Brown also was pleased with the play of several true freshmen offensive linemen in Kyle Altuner, who was recently released and practiced in full, as well as offensive tackles Justin Terry and Lucas Austin.
And finally, true freshman wide receiver Brandon Rehmann put together his best practice since he has been on campus and is a player that could carve out a role on special teams.
“He probably had his best day as a Mountaineer yesterday. And so he's continuing to get stronger and could potentially help us on special teams down the line here in this month,” Brown said.
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