3 WVU Position Battles That May Not Be Settled Before the Season Opener

Iron sharpens iron. There are three spots that the Mountaineers may not have quite figured out by September 5th.

West Virginia University linebacker Ben Cutter | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

Fall camp has cleared up a lot of things for the West Virginia coaching staff and us, for that matter. We have a much better idea of who is lined up where, who is expected to play, and where some of the trouble spots could lie.

Some jobs have already been won, but there are a few notable battles still ongoing and may trickle into the season.

Tight End

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Candidates: Ryan Ward, Josh Sapp, Cam Ball

Unfortunately, the Mountaineers have been a bit banged up here in fall camp. Ward has been out, and Ball is expected to miss a couple of weeks with an undisclosed injury, which has led to Rich Rod labeling him as "questionable" for the season opener.

Even if the room had been healthy all camp long, I still think this battle would have spilled over into the season. And honestly, I'm not sure one guy ends up eating up the majority of the reps. All three, when healthy, will see playing time and bring a little something different to the table. Ward is probably the best all-around player of the group, Sapp is the best receiving threat, and Ball has incredible size (6'7") that makes him a legit red zone threat.

WILL Linebacker

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Candidates: Ben Cutter, Cam Torbor, Malachi Hood

You could even throw Ashton Woods, Isaiah Patterson, and others here as well because all of these backers are being cross-trained to be able to play both the MIKE and the WILL. These are three names that you'll most likely see at the WILL this season, though.

Cutter, you would think, would be the favorite, considering he has experience in this system and has been around for a while now. But he could very well end up being a rotational player who still sees heavy snaps.

Cam Torbor is the guy West Virginia really wants to break through. He is incredibly gifted from a skill standpoint and has the size of an NFL backer. Things are just still happening a little fast for him, which is to be expected for a guy who redshirted last year and is now aiming for a starting role. That's quite the jump. If he practices well over these next two weeks, he'd be my guess to win the job.

Like Cutter, Illinois transfer Malachi Hood has played a lot of football and is pretty stout against the run. In one way or another, he will get his fair share of snaps.

Kicker

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Candidates: Jack Cassidy, Nate Flower, Peter Notaro

Rodriguez said it himself the other day that this is a "wide-open competition" and that if the season started today, he would have no idea who he'd be sending out to kick a 35-yard field goal.

Notaro, the Alabama transfer, has missed some time with an injury, but is working his way back into the mix.

Cassidy comes in from Western Kentucky and has a powerful leg, which connected on all three attempts last season, each of which was 40+ yards, two being 50+ (53 & 55).

Fairmont native Nate Flower has been very consistent throughout camp and has put himself in a good spot after just handling kickoff duties last year for the Mountaineers. Don't be surprised if a couple of guys get opportunities early in the season or if they split the duties, with one being a long-range guy.