West Virginia head coach Neal Brown can’t help but see the oozing potential for Wyatt Milum.

The sophomore offensive tackle is coming off true freshman season where he more than held his own appearing in 622 snaps at right tackle and seizing the job as the year continued. The latest in a string of Spring Valley offensive linemen, Milum perhaps has as much upside as any in recent memory.

“I think the sky is the limit for him, I really do. I think he’s not only very talented, but he’s as competitive as anybody I’ve been around. He has a nasty streak which I think is important in the offensive line and he’s hungry. Hungry to be as good as he can possibly be and he's a smart football player,” Brown said.

It’s impressive that Milum as able to make his way into a starting role as a true freshman, but even more so when you consider that he didn’t even arrive on campus until June. There was no off-season for Milum and he was able to hit the ground running and eventually supplanted Parker Moorer.

It was a goal of Milum’s since he arrived on campus although it definitely took some getting used to once he was thrown in the fire competing with college defensive linemen.

“The hardest thing is the technique you have to use. You can’t use the wrong technique to block somebody in college,” Milum said.

But over the course of the year, it was apparent that Milum had shown he was ready for a role. Offensive line is the most difficult position on the field to play as a young player, but he did it.

“He wasn’t an early grad. He didn’t get here until the summer. He came in and really worked and he showed vast improvement as he went through the year,” Brown said.

Milum leaned on fellow Spring Valley product Doug Nester to help him last season when he hit walls in large part because he had already gone through most of that. The pair have known each other since they were kids and it was easy to lean on him for advice.

Now, with an entire winter under his belt Brown believes that there is only more room for Milum to improve. Rated as a four-star prospect in the class of 2021, Milum was one of the top offensive line targets in the nation and certainly is equipped with an impressive skill set.

Milum collected offers from Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame and a long list of others but West Virginia was fortunate that he grew up inside the Mountain State. That helped matters on the recruiting trail.

"The relationship I built with coach Brown and coach (Matt) Moore and to be able to play for your home state it's really special," he said. "It felt like home."

This spring the Mountaineers moved Milum to the left tackle spot due to the fact he is left-handed and he is expected to fill that role this coming year.

“Switching him to the left side made a lot of sense. He felt very comfortable there. The winter was very good for him as far as adding weight,” Brown said. “He’s a lot stronger.”

It’s a move that has been natural for Milum despite never lining up on that side of the line in his career with the only real adjustment in learning his kick.

“Honestly feel like my hands are better because I’m left handed,” he said.

Now, with that extra time the hope is that Milum is only going to continue his upward trajectory and will develop into one of the top linemen in his class.

“Wyatt is special,” Brown said.

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