West Virginia RB room has depth, options

West Virginia running backs coach Chad Scott is confident in his position room.

There are three scholarship players headlining the position in redshirt sophomore Tony Mathis, sophomore Justin Johnson and redshirt freshman Jaylen Anderson along with true freshman CJ Donaldson who was moved into the backfield at the start of fall camp.

It isn’t a lot of bodies, but Scott believes there is plenty of quality among it.

“Very comfortable with the depth. Those guys are really good players. They’re quality, but we’ve got to keep them healthy,” he said. “That’s my biggest focus is get through this camp and keep them healthy.”

Mathis has taken the next step in his fourth season with the program running the ball well as well as catching passes at a high clip.

“That’s probably outside his running ability that he has shown the later part of the year and in spring football his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield has been very impressive,” he said.

When it comes to Johnson, Scott has noticed a considerable difference in his confidence on and off the field. That was apparent even in the little things such as how he has recently been sitting in the front of team meetings, something typically designated for upperclassmen and playmakers.

Johnson put together a strong spring and that has only continued into the summer and fall.

“Just the look in his eye. He’s learning how to play with the same athleticism, ability and talent that we saw in high school. He’s playing like that right now,” Scott said. “It’s a great thing to see.”

Those two are currently the top options in the backfield but redshirt freshman Jaylen Anderson has surprised so far after a season that he sat out with an academic redshirt. While he showed some flashes in the spring, the Ohio native has been much more consistent through the early stages of camp.

That has opened the door for Anderson to carve out a potential role in the backfield especially after Lyn-J Dixon was dismissed from the roster in the off-season due a violation of team rules.

“He’s taken a big step. He had his best day yesterday since he’s been here. Confident with what he’s doing right now and he did a good job this summer,” Scott said. “He’s grown a lot.”

That is three reliable options in the backfield, while the Mountaineers also made the move to slot CJ Donaldson as a running back due to his athleticism and versatility. While the Miami native was recruited as a tight end out of high school he has hit the ground running at his new spot.

West Virginia must replace the leading rusher from a season ago with the departure of Leddie Brown but the program is excited with the depth in place as the opener approaches.

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