West Virginia football moving toward personnel decisions

West Virginia football released a depth chart in the 2020 media guide, but even head coach Neal Brown isn’t putting too much stock into it for now.

That’s because Brown admits that the information was compiled before the start of fall camp and there are going to be quite a few changes between now and the Sept. 12 opener against Eastern Kentucky.

“There’s probably been some movement,” he said. “I would bet a lot of it is still the same but there’s going to be some new guys that have jumped in there with how they’ve performed.”

A few of those that could qualify for that include Arizona linebacker transfer Tony Fields, freshman cornerback Daryl Porter and Middle Tennessee wide receiver transfer Zack Dobson, each of which have stood out through practices leading up to the start of the season.

But there are still plenty of other battles on going.

The Mountaineers starting quarterback job remains a battle between redshirt junior Jarret Doege and redshirt senior Austin Kendall, but a resolution could be coming soon. That’s because the coaching staff is expected to discuss the position, as well as each player’s body of work throughout the fall practices before ultimately reaching a conclusion at some point within the next week.

Both continue to mix in with the first and second team units and while there have been some positives, there have been some issues that you don’t want to see out of older options under center. Still, it’s always difficult to judge after scrimmages without seeing the tape.

“We’ll start having those conversations tomorrow. Sometime this week, I think that’s fair,” Brown said.

Along the offensive line, things are starting to settle in with redshirt sophomore James Gmiter solidifying a spot at left guard, redshirt senior Chase Behrndt becoming the starter at center and redshirt senior Mike Brown taking over the lead at the right guard spot.

The ongoing battles that remain are at the tackle spots. One pits redshirt sophomore Junior Uzebu against Brandon Yates on the left side and has been back and forth.

“That’s been give and take. Just when we think one guy is going to take it, the other guy will have a good day and the other will fall back,” Brown said.

The second battle is matching junior John Hughes against Briason Mays at the opposite tackle spot, with redshirt freshman Parker Moorer also working into the mix.

“Mays has played center, guard or tackle and he’s a guy that we feel like is going to be able to move around and maybe even break into the lineup,” Brown said.

This doesn't even factor in positions that could be altered if waivers are approved for certain players but for now there is no update on that front.

There are still some others that are being decided as well, but the Mountaineers still have some time to sort out what they need to do in time for the season.

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