WVU’s offensive new blood

Here is a look at those new names — or relatively new names — who will be key on the offensive side of the football in 2023.

Quarterback – While Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol are battling for the starting QB job, true freshman Sean Boyle (6-2, 204 lbs., Fr.) spent the spring learning the ropes after enrolling at WVU in January.

“Sean Boyle has been surprising with his athleticism,” noted Brown. “He can run, and he’s a better athlete than maybe we initially thought coming in. They were under center a lot (at Boyle’s alma mater, Charlotte Catholic High School), so our offense is a drastic change for him. So, you have a big change in scheme, as well as the change in size, speed and all the other things that go with being in college. So, it’s a big jump for him, and it’s still early for him.”

Boyle appears to be headed towards a redshirt in ‘23, but he showed enough promise this past spring that he seems to have a bright future with the Mountaineers.

Running Back — Even with the departure of Tony Mathis, who recently entered the transfer portal, West Virginia still has a deep and experienced running back room with C.J. Donaldson (6-2, 239 lbs., Soph.), Jaylen Anderson (5-11, 214 lbs., Soph.) and Justin Johnson (5-11, 209 lbs., Jr.) all returning after each saw considerable game action in the past.

An intriguing new back emerged in the spring, though, as true freshman Jahiem White (5-7, 185 lbs., Fr.), who enrolled at WVU in January, quickly caught plenty of eyes. Included his attention-getting efforts was a 93-yard performance on seven carries in the Gold-Blue Spring Game, which was highlighted by a 53-yard touchdown dash.

“Jahiem is explosive. We’ve seen that in practice,” explained Brown. “He got a little bit banged up toward the end of the spring, but when he was healthy, we liked what he did.”

With three veteran backs in front of him, White is going to have to be patient and wait for his opportunities this fall. But injuries have often forced WVU to reach deep into its running back pool in the past, so White must stay ready because it’s very possible he’ll be needed at some point in 2023.

Wide Receiver — Having lost their top four pass catchers from last season, most of the Mountaineers’ current receiver room is new, young and/or inexperienced.

The veteran of the group isn’t a veteran with the Mountaineers, as Devin Carter (6-3, 215 lbs., Sr.) is a transfer from N.C. State, who caught 118 passes in five years with the Wolfpack. He has been WVU’s No. 1 receiver basically since he arrived on campus in January.

“After watching him work in the winter, I knew what Devin would be,” stated Brown. “He has a chance to even improve on what he was at N.C. State.”

West Virginia badly needs to develop other receivers to complement Carter.

Preston Fox (5-10, 184 lbs., Soph.), Jarel Williams (6-2, 203 lbs., RFr.), Hudson Clement (6-1, 198 lbs., RFr.), Ja’Shaun Poke (5-10, 187 lbs., Sr.) and Jeremiah Aaron (5-10, 186 lbs., Jr.) got considerable use in the spring, but the returning receiver who seemingly has the highest ceiling is Cortez Braham (6-2, 201 lbs., Sr.).

A former junior college transfer who saw action in 11 games in his first season at WVU last year in which he had 14 catches for 147 yards, Brown hopes Braham takes that next step in his second season at the FBS level.

“He’s got considerably faster since he got here. I’m pleased with his progress,” West Virginia’s fifth-year coach said of Braham. “Cortez is a guy who has really grown and has the potential to be a starter for sure.”

If the Mountaineers can’t find the combination of quality and quantity they need at receiver from those who were on the field this spring, they will turn to a group of new faces in the fall. Those will include Davis Mallinger (6-1, 188 lbs., Soph.), who didn’t practice this spring because of injury and is making the move from safety to receiver, and a pair of true freshmen who will enroll this summer in Rodney Gallagher (5-11, 175 lbs., Fr.) and Traylon Ray (6-3, 185 lbs., Fr.). WVU has also gained a pair of commitments from a pair of transfer receivers this past week in E.J. Horton (6-0, 180 lbs., Jr.) and Noah Massey (6-4, 230 lbs., Sr.).

Tight End – Treylan Davis (6-3, 263 lbs., Soph.) saw plenty of game action last year, though mostly as a blocking tight end rather than a frequent passing target. He finished his redshirt freshman season with five receptions for 51 yards.

Davis still figures to see plenty of duty at tight end, but two others at that position showed strong receiving potential this spring in LSU transfer Kole Taylor (6-7, 243 lbs., Jr.) and Will Dixon (6-5, 227 lbs., RFr.)

“Kole Taylor has really good hands and understands route running,” stated Brown. “Will Dixon is coming along, and I’m excited about that.”

Taylor will push Davis for the starting tight end duties this fall, though there’s likely an opportunity for Dixon to see plenty of game action as well.

Offensive Line – With all five starters – Zach Frazier (6-3, 310 lbs., Jr.), Tomas Rimac (6-6, 314 lbs., Soph.), Ja’Quay Hubbard (6-5, 326 lbs., Jr.), Wyatt Milum (6-6, 309 lbs., Jr.) and Doug Nester (6-6, 309 lbs., Sr.) – returning from the second half of last season, as well as the top two reserves – Brandon Yates (6-4, 309 lbs., Jr.) and Nick Malone (6-5, 294 lbs., Jr.) – some of the younger linemen may have gotten overlooked in the spring … at least overlooked by those on the outside, not by the coaches.

A pair of second-year guards, Sullivan Weidman (6-5, 311 lbs., RFr.) and Maurice Hamilton (6-3, 322 lbs., RFr.), drew frequent praise from WVU’s head coach.

“Mo Hamilton has a lot of ability. He just needs reps,” stated Brown.

“Sully reminds me – and I’m not putting pressure on him – of being very similar to where Tomas was this time a year ago,” added Brown. “His good plays, you’re like, ‘I like where he’s at.’ His negative plays, which are all fundamentally based, can be really bad. He gets his hands wide at times, so he loses hand leverage. He wants to put his head down sometimes, which will allow a good d-lineman to swim. When we clean those things up, though, he can for sure help us.”

Unless there are injuries, it’s unlikely that Hamilton or Weidman will start this fall, but each figures to see plenty of action in ’23, as the Mountaineer coaches believe both are ready to help in the rotation.

Johnny Williams (6-7, 316 lbs., Fr.), who just enrolled at WVU in January, is a true freshman who drew accolades as well. He’s likely to redshirt this season, but he seems to have a very bright future.