West Virginia set to welcome back key players
West Virginia is still in the process of filling out the roster with late additions at several key spots but the team also will welcome back some key pieces that were either injured or limited in the spring.
Junior running back CJ Donaldson participated in the majority of spring drills but was held out of any contact situations after undergoing shoulder surgery prior to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Head Coach Neal Brown said that he could have played in the team's spring game, so he should be ready to go by the summer.
Donaldson will pair with sophomore Jahiem White to create a talented backfield after rushing for 798 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season.
Senior tight end Kole Taylor had a major impact in his first year with the Mountaineers leading the team in receptions with 35 grabs for 444 yards and 4 scores after coming over from LSU. The pass catcher also underwent an off-season procedure that limited him to individual work in the spring but is expected to be fully cleared and ready to reprise his role this fall.
Starting left guard Tomas Rimac returned to individual drills toward the end of spring but was limited after undergoing off-season surgery. The redshirt junior started 11 games in 2023 and played 690 snaps as a key piece to the offensive line. He too will return to full go in the summer.
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On the defensive side of the ball, West Virginia will welcome back redshirt sophomore Asani Redwood who had to undergo a late procedure and is on track to be back in the summer. The same can be said for sophomore cornerback TJ Crandall who transferred into the program from Colorado State and dealt with a nagging hamstring injury that kept him sideline but it wasn’t believed to be serious.
Another cornerback in junior Jacolby Spells was injured during the spring and is expected to remain out with an upper-body injury until at some point in the fall. Spells played 131 snaps this past season and was putting together a very productive spring prior to the injury.
One injury that occurred during the spring that the status isn’t as clear at least in terms of when he will return is with redshirt freshman defensive lineman Corey McIntyre. The legacy prospect had made waves in the early portion of spring drills with his play up front but sustained a lower-body injury that Brown said at the time didn’t look good and he was sporting a brace.
Overall, West Virginia has been actively adding to the roster but the program was smart with several key players that should be back in the fold soon.
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