West Virginia remakes wide receiver room through additions
The West Virginia wide receiver room will look quite different this coming year.
That’s because out of the 12 scholarship options on the roster half of them will be new faces with many of those players expected to take on large roles for the program.
The Mountaineers lost all four of their top pass catchers from last season with Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Sam James electing to enter the 2023 NFL Draft then Kaden Prather and Reese Smith entering the transfer portal with eligibility remaining in their careers.
Theoretically each of those options could have returned but in the end none of them will for the 2023 season. And out of the 403 total targets, that group reeled in a total of 295 of those.
In terms of actual production, the wide receiver room lost 179 catches, 2,126 yards and 17 touchdowns which is 85-percent of the total catches, 87-percent of the yards and 89-percent of the scores at the position last year leaving some massive opportunities behind for those on the roster.
The program also lost position coach Tony Washington to Liberty in the off-season and brought in a new but familiar face in former graduate assistant Bilal Marshall.
The only returning scholarship players on the roster from last year are Jeremiah Aaron, Cortez Braham, Jarel Williams, Preston Fox and Graeson Malashevich. That group combined for only 32 catches for 312 yards and 2 scores across the entire season which makes developing options there critical.
The Mountaineers also made the move to switch Davis Mallinger to the offensive side but he wasn’t able to participate in practice this spring recovering from injury.
“We lost a lot of production in that receiver room and a lot of experience,” head coach Neal Brown said.
But that doesn't mean everything especially in the world of the transfer portal.
"Everybody is underselling our receiver group a little bit the only way of doing things if you look at preseason stuff you look at returning production but the only production people count is on your team," Brown said.
Brown believes that out of those returning options he expects former junior college players Aaron and Braham to make significant jumps in their second seasons. It’s a script he has seen play out over his career when it comes to junior college options such as former players Damion Willis and many others.
“I really believe those two guys will make big jumps,” he said.
West Virginia also was active in trying to secure a potential lead option in the transfer portal and was able to do that with former North Carolina State wide receiver Devin Carter. Carter started over 40 games for the Wolfpack and hauled in 118 catches for 1,906 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing a total of 2,264 snaps over his four seasons in Raleigh.
The Mountaineers secured his pledge over a number of other top programs including Penn State in large part because of some connections to the school and opportunity. As mentioned above, the runway is clear for a wide receiver to make a dent on the depth chart and Carter saw that in his recruitment with a chance to make the most of his final year of eligibility.
The connections lie in the fact that his mother is originally from the Princeton area and he has ties with Ford-Wheaton as the two are both from North Carolina.
“Those two things I mentioned got us in the door and offensively he understands that this is a good fit for him. If you look back for a long time at different places our number one guy has been really productive and he has a chance to do that,” Brown said.
In fact, Brown believes there is a pathway for him to be even more productive than he has been at any other point in his college career to date.
West Virginia also was active in bringing in other options such as Kent State slot transfer Ja’Shaun Poke, Marshall transfer wide receiver EJ Horton and Angelo State slot Noah Massey. And on top of those a pair of true freshmen in slot Rodney Gallagher and outside wide receiver Traylon Ray. Brown believes that each is going to have a real chance to make a dent in the rotation early in their careers.
Horton, 6-foot-1, 180-pounds, brings the speed element to the outside for the West Virginia wide receiver room and is coming off his most productive year to date with 12 catches for 186 yards and a score. The Louisville native drew plenty of interest after entering the transfer portal and is going to help the Mountaineers stretch the field vertically with his ability to run.
Poke had 81 catches for 1,033 yards and 5 touchdowns over his time with the Kent State football program and the Georgia native is coming off a season where he hauled in 31 catches for 362 yards and a touchdown despite missing half the season with injury.
The final piece in Massey is a big-bodied slot option that at 6-foot-4, 230-pounds, will be able to fill that role from both a receiving and blocking standpoint. Massey is coming off a season where he hauled in 52 passes for 684 yards and 4 touchdowns and the Houston native possesses the ability to grab the football in contested catch situations as well as showcasing good ball skills.
"It's the most versatile group we have had. We catch the ball better, we have to do it in a game, but as far as catching the ball and being pure pass catchers, we’re at a higher level than we’ve been," Brown said. "I like the different body types we have I like the different styles and this first two weeks of camp we have to figure out the strengths and how we use them the best."
There is also the strong possibility that during the off-season at least one of the players that isn’t being talked about right now comes into his own and takes a step forward.
“There will be one guy who makes a jump,” Brown said.
The wide receiver room is going to look quite different in 2023 but the question now becomes just how effective it will be?
That remains to be seen, but the goal of adding more experience to the room certainly has been accomplished with some veteran pieces to fill various needs.
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