West Virginia looking to continue strength up front
One of the strengths of the West Virginia football team this past season was up front and the numbers certainly show that out.
The Mountaineers ranked atop power five programs and fourth nationally in rushing offense at 228.9 yards per game, while the unit also permitted just 10 sacks and was one of the top teams in the country there, too.
It's been a five-year process to get to this point with the group quite literally coming from the lowest of low points in recent history in 2019 to the identity of the offense. West Virginia rushed for at least 140 yards in every game last season, quite the contrast from that 2019 season where the offense rushed for 51 yards or fewer in 7 games.
And with a lot of experience back this coming season, the hope is that the strong play of the offensive unit continues.
West Virginia gets back quarterback Garrett Greene, both lead running backs in CJ Donaldson and Jaheim White, the majority of the production at wide receiver and both tight ends that saw significant snaps in 2023.
That means that for the most part the group should be able to take a step forward if the offensive line is able to hold up their end of the bargain on that side of the ball.
The good news is that West Virginia will return over 3,000 snaps from that unit last year with starters left tackle Wyatt Milum, left guard Tomas Rimac and right guard Ja'Quay Hubbard back along with key pieces on the second and third units.
Although two of the departures are massive in center Zach Frazier and tackle Doug Nester. Both have been critical pieces to the success of the unit, and you simply just don't replace that type of productivity easily between the pair.
Frazier is especially a tall task as he was one of the best centers in the country and had been a four-year starter overall up front. The job will go to Brandon Yates and if the bowl game is any indication, the Mountaineers could be in good hands there with the experienced lineman that has bounced around to multiple spots in his career.
Yates has played almost 3,000 snaps over his career with the Mountaineers and bounced around to multiple spots until he has settled in at center. Still, Yates is going to have to prove it and show he can handle that position and all that comes with it over the course of the season which will be one of the question marks that this unit will have.
As far as Nester, West Virginia has Nick Malone returning after he played 418 snaps this past season and was productive in the role. The Mountaineers also were able to bring in Xavier Bausley through the transfer portal so that could be an interesting battle to watch and he earned all-conference honors as a freshman and played 914 snaps.
Now the jump from that level to the highest in the Big 12 is stark, but there will be opportunities there along with others such as Johnny Williams and Nick Krahe.
West Virginia has stressed patience in building this group and you can see how it has improved over the years. Now, the goal is to keep it going this fall.
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