Observations on the preseason West Virginia football depth chart
–At quarterback there’s no surprise that the initial depth chart lists both Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol with the ‘-or-’ tag. Head Coach Neal Brown has already stated that the battle at the position will go into fall camp so any type of announcement before then would have been downright shocking.
–The pecking order at running back also is as expected with CJ Donaldson at the top followed by Jaylen Anderson. The rest is rounded out with Justin Johnson and Jahiem White. This group is going to see a lot of action so placement might not matter as much but Donaldson paces the pack.
–Both Treylan Davis and Kole Taylor also share an ‘-or-’ tag at tight end and the two are very different players as Davis is more of a blocking option while Taylor was recruited to serve as a pass catcher. It wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest to see West Virginia utilize them both in those roles and even have both of them on the field at the same time.
–Devin Carter being the lead at Z and Cortez Braham at X was already spoiled by head coach Neal Brown, but Jeremiah Aaron and Graeson Malashevich atop their spots isn’t terribly shocking either. Malashevich shares the role with Jarel Williams and Noah Massey. There is depth at each of the spots here although relatively unproven at least in Morgantown. There should be plenty of moving around between the spots as well as the Mountaineers look to get the most out of each spot.
–Offensive line was cookie cutter on the left side with Wyatt Milum at tackle, Tomas Rimac at guard and Zach Frazier in the middle at center. On the right side, there were a few adjustments as Brandon Yates or Ja’Quay Hubbard are at guard and Doug Nester is at tackle. Now, this certainly doesn’t guarantee this is how it ends up as each of these people can move around if need be but it’s definitely an interesting organization of the position prior to the start of fall camp. There also is plenty of depth across the positions although some of it needs to prove itself.
–On the defensive front, West Virginia has the expected starting group of Edward Vesterinen, Mike Lockhart and Sean Martin. But there is depth behind as the Mountaineers could go eight deep behind the starters with players such as Davoan Hawkins, Jalen Thornton, Hammond Russell, Fatorma Mulbah, Taurus Simmons, Asani Redwood and Tomiwa Durojaiye battling for spots.
–At bandit Jared Bartlett returns as the starter, but there is the most quality depth that the program has had there in several seasons with transfer Tyrin Bradley and freshman James Heard.
–Lee Kpogba was the no question starter at MIKE, while the WILL spot lists Jairo Faverus ahead of Tray Lathan for the time being. That battle is expected to continue into the fall while others such as Tirek Austin-Cave could fill each spot if need be. The depth here is concerning simply because there aren’t many proven options to select from and will need to show that this year.
–There is depth at spear with Lance Dixon, Hershey McLaurin and Raleigh Collins all listed with the ‘-or’ designation. This position is going to have options.
–Aubrey Burks is the expected starter at FREE with Keyshawn Cobb backing him up while Marcis Floyd and Anthony Wilson are slated at the CAT spot. The latter must take a major step forward in order for the secondary to improve the overall product.
–Cornerback was addressed with transfers but remains open as one spot lists Andrew Wilson-Lamp -or- Montre Miller while the other is Malachi Ruffin, Beanie Bishop or Jacolby Spells. West Virginia simply didn’t get good enough play here a year ago but with new transfers being added to the mix and those returning players getting more experience the hope is that they take that step. It’s a necessity for the secondary to improve their overall play this coming fall.
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